WCOH 36 Everything Thread

[The Sherpa Empire]

----o-֎-o----‭

‭Shuang Gao was frustrated about losing the last two games. The coach had tried to be encouraging, pointing out that they had played well against Cosumar, even though they didn't win, and tomorrow was a new day. Gao was still frustrated. He left the locker room in a bad mood. His body guard was waiting outside, and as they walked out of the building, the body guard also told him not to take the loss too hard. Anthor and Cosumar had good teams -- no shame in losing to opponents of that caliber -- and tomorrow was a new day.

‭No sooner had they stepped out onto the sidewalk than the body guard stopped Gao and stepped in front of him. It took a moment for Gao to figure out who or what the guard was trying to protect him from, then he noticed the Sherpa woman standing at the far side of the sidewalk, obviously waiting for him. Gao had absolutely no doubt about her nationality, or that her eye contact with him was intentional. Her long hair was streaked with a few strands of gray, but there was something weirdly riveting about her appearance. And weirdly familiar... Gao just couldn't place why she looked familiar. She was dressed in long dark robes and ornate silver jewelry. Her necklace and earrings were set with blue gemstones that seemed to glow faintly, though Gao could not be sure if they were really glowing or if that was just a trick of the light.

‭She stepped closer and told Gao's body guard, "Relax, young man. I'm a government shaman."

‭The body guard glanced around uncertainly. "From which government?" he asked. She looked Sherpa, but they were in Anthor, so he wasn't sure if "government" meant the Sherpa one or the Anthoran one.

‭"From the monastery in Tengboche. My name is Sarki Ihawa. Mr. Gao's stepdaughter is my niece. I need to talk to him, preferably in private." So that was why she looked familiar, Gao thought. He had never actually met Sarki before -- in fact, he was somewhat surprised to find out that she was a real person and not a figment of the Ihawa family's collective imaginations -- but he knew some of her relatives, and there was a family resemblance.

‭"I can't let you talk to him alone," said the body guard. "I have orders to stay with him at all times."

‭Gao put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him out of the way. "It's okay. She's not going to hurt me."

‭"But what if someone else attacks you while you're talking to her?"

‭"She's a government shaman."

‭"But..."

‭"If something happens that I can't handle, what do you think you will be able to do?" Sarki asked.

‭"I... uh...," the body guard stammered helplessly.

‭"It's all right, you can come with us if you insist," Sarki reassured him. "I don't want your bosses to catch you by yourself and start asking why you're not with Mr. Gao."

‭"Yeah, that would be bad," the body guard agreed.

‭"Can I take you out for dinner?" Sarki asked.

‭"Yeah, sure," said Gao.

‭They went to a nice sit-down restaurant with table cloths and candles. Not the most expensive restaurant in town, but still a classy establishment -- somewhere they weren't likely to be mobbed by random hockey fans wanting to meet Shuang Gao.

‭They ordered appetizers and then Gao asked Sarki why she wanted to talk to him. "I assume you've heard about the kidnapping of Jigme Sherpa?" she said.

‭"Yeah."

‭"Well, there have been some other attacks," said Sarki. "Lhami Sherpa, the tennis player, and Kenchi Zhang, the physicist, were both kidnapped in the last week. The Taliban tried to kidnap the Duke of Kashmir's nephew, but the duke's security guards rescued him. Three days ago, someone pulled a gun on my brother. At first, he thought it was something about baseball, since the whole baseball world seems to have lost their minds since Lakshmi Songtsen signed with the Jewelers. The Taliban hasn't claimed responsibility because the attack failed, but the more we look into it, the more it looks like it was them."

‭"Okay. What does this have to do with me?" Gao asked.

‭"Well, I think they might go after Changyi," said Sarki. Changyi was her niece, Gao's stepdaughter. "Everyone they've attacked has magic in their blood, and all of them are noteworthy or important in some way, but they're all civilians and none of them are in the government or the clergy."

‭"Changyi doesn't have magic powers," said Gao.

‭"She did when she was younger," said Sarki, "and everyone knows it runs in the family. She's an easier target than anyone else in my family because she lives with you on the other side of the country and she's forgotten how to use her magic. And she's been all over the tabloids."

‭Gao sighed. "Oh, trust me, I know all about the stuff in the tabloids. I wish I knew how to stop her going out and getting in all that trouble."

‭"That's simple," said Sarki. "Get her away from her mother. But that's not really my business. My business is counter-terrorism. Someone needs to protect Changyi, and her mother isn't going to take it seriously if she hears it directly from me."

‭"Hearing it from me won't work much better," said Gao. "Every time I say anything about Changyi, it's like, 'Whaa! Don't tell me how to raise my daughter! Mrp, nrp, mrp!'"

‭"Right, but you have shared custody. You're in a position to press the issue. My family can't do anything without getting into a court battle."

‭Gao sighed. "Okay, I'll see what I can do." Part of him wished his wife would lose a custody battle or Changyi would just assert her legal independence and move out -- which she had the option to do under Sherpa law -- and then he wouldn't have to deal with all this nonsense. Another part of him felt terrible for entertaining such uncharitable thoughts about his own family.

----o-֎-o----‭

[Mercedini]

21. Mercedini
"Unbreakable II (Champions' Edit)" - Rachel Nollov
Language(s): English
Music + Lyrics: Rachel Nollov, Elise Fabiza, Enrico Fernandes
Tune: Dami Im - ''Super Love''

Following their rather experimental choice for the 39th World Hit Festvial which earnt the nation a solid thirty points and fourth place, ENM have decided to go back to basics with their selection for the 40th edition of the contest held once again in Mousiki, Izmedu. The song chosen has reflected a shift in the of tunes of Mercedini's sporting history, with the song coming from a successful re-release of a WorldVision banger. The selection comes after a second iteration of Nollov's 'Unbreakable', classified 'The Champions Edit' was released following the nation's first ever World Cup Cycle victory in the Cup of Harmony, reaching the top spot on the Mercedinian Hot 100 mere days after it's release.

The song has come of age since the original trck was released after WorldVision 51, where the song placed 9th in Kyvivre, which was the best placing at the contest that the nation had at the time. The song was chosen by executives for it's lyrics and feel good attitude, jumping on the back of sporting hype which transfixed the nation in the following weeks after the team's victory. With lyrics modified, the tune revamped and all new staging for the song to compete in Mousiki, it could be time for Nollov to take home a second World Hit Festival title.

The Mercedinian made waves when she became the first from her nation to win an international song contest, when she was featured on the Convikt dance track 'Flying Above', which won the 33rd World Hit Festival for Cosneolta, one edition before Daniel Alishkaerni did the same thing, this time for his home nation. Nollov has been active within the Mercedinian music scene since her victory, focusing on new projects and writing a series of competing WorldVision songs, with Rapidly Descending Barrier's 'Loved Ones' currently competing in Telm City, which was co-wrote by Nollov and a series of other writers. Now she takes to the stage for Mercedini once again, hoping to bring home a third victory for her nation, which would be the first in four editions. She will sing 21st in the final of the World Hit Festival.

The performance begins with the stage covered in a matte white, bright enough to illuminate the rest of the arena but calm enough to keep everything in view of the camera which was elevated above the circular stage. Grey vertical strings on the LED screen at the back of the stage were vibrating as the beginning piano chords ran out around the arena and from television sets of the viewers at home. The camera flew in to a female figure walking forward on the main portion of the stage. The spotlight above her grew in brightness to slowly reveal the Mercedinian representative, who was dressed in all white with loose white trousers and a white crop top, revealing her rams and lower stomach to serve some looks to the crowd. She put her white microphone to her lips to sing the opening lines of her return to international song contests

Lately I’ve been looking up to greatness
We live in a place where victory’s just meant to be
Because we are, are looking nowhere but up
And that’s why I’ll be there when times get tough

Rachel then wals to the side of the stage but doesn't walk onto the island, instead a camera located as the side of the stage swoops in from above, as Rachel sings towards the camera before turning her back and walking back towards the centre of the stage, geeing up the crowd as she does so. The vibrating strings on screen slow to the point where they become simply grey lines at the back, before fading away into the white screen, leaving the LED screen as one colour after the first verse of the song comes to an end.

Just say that you’ll be there when we all take a bow
There’s no doubt as time flies, there will be ups and downs
Because we are, are looking nowhere but up
And that’s why I’ll be there when times get tough

The matte white screens now increase in intensity as Rachel cuts a lovely figure at the centre of the stage, the lights around the arena now all point their beams of light towards the singer as the camera in the centre cuts a long stationary shot at it moves forward, moving past many heads of the audience who are simply watching in admiration rather that waving their flags like previous performances. The angle then cuts to the shot zoomed in on the face of Nollov as she clenches her fist and sings into the final line into the main camera in the central of the stadium. The music continues as the lights and screens fade out before the lead up to the chorus begins.

We’re taking on them all
Their walls, we’ll blow them up
We're gonna run this town, town, town
World, we're unbreakable

During the instrumental portion of the song before the chorus, Rachel waves to the crowd which returns a small cheer from the crowd as the flags are waved high, Rachel spins elegantly before steadying herself and putting her microphone up to her lips once again. An explosion as light and colour occurs as the first chorus explodes into light. Five dancers who are all in white run from the side of the stage all holding chalks of different colours of their hand, they all run of enthusiastically into the centre of the stage and throw their chalk into the air, creating clouds of orange, purple, green, blue and red before dancing around Rachel which is captured by the overhead camera. The white screen has been wholly replaced by a multi-coloured vortex spinning around in the LED screen behind the action. Small fireworks of many different colours fly from the stage floor as the chorus kicks the audience into life.

World, we're unbreakable
Yeah, we're unbreakable
We're gonna run this town, town, town
Hey, we're unbreakable

The second verse begins with the vortex slowing down until it stops to form a simple wall behind the performers on stage. The six of them line up behind each other with Nollov at the front, the five dancers spread their arms out to give the illusion that they are coming from the singer's body, with each of the dancers having noticeably different coloured hands from the chalk that they threw previously. The arms and hands then reach forward to grab the clothing of Nollov who keeps singing into the central camera, the chalked hands leave their mark on the clothing, adding colour stains to her clothing as the performance continues.

If they say that our strengths will never do them harm
Then we’ll run to them and show them all what we’re made of
Because we are, are looking nowhere but up
And that’s why I’ll be there when times get tough

The dancers split from their line and move with Rachel as she walks forward towards the front of the stage, a manned camera moves onto the stage and circles the group before the camera shows a reverse angle of the stage with the performers turning their backs to the audience as Nollov sings to the audience at home rather than the ones in Mousiki. Rachel places her hand on her heart before turning quickly to greet the audience with the beginning of the lead up of the second chorus.

We’re not gonna stop till we’ve earnt that number one
Creations and evolution take us where we’re dreaming of
Because we are, are looking nowhere but up
And that’s why I’ll be there when times get tough

Rachel looks up to the overhead camera before returning to the central camera in the arena. The stationary vortex begins to start up once again as the mix of colours rotates on the LED screen at the back of the stage. The colours spill onto the LED floor to illuminate the performers with many different colours instead of just white which was present before. The bridge is slowly being filled in with the walkway slowly transforming as the rainbow effect seeps it's way along the walkway, which is captured by the camera as it flies back to take in the scale of the arena.

We’re taking on them all
Their walls, we’ll blow them up
We're gonna run this town, town, town
World, we're unbreakable

There's no break for the singer as they song goes straight into the second chorus which brings it's own set of effects to keep the viewers engaged in the song. The lights and the spectacle return with cannons at either side of the stage firing light chalk at the performers on the stage, which floats down and coats the white clothing of the six people, creating individual designs for the six of them to sport for the rest of the performance. Rachel now has a small sprinkling of coloured powder on her hair and on her face, but her make-up has deflected much the mess, keeping her face still visible to the crowds watching wherever they are.

World, we're unbreakable
Yeah, we're unbreakable
We're gonna run this town, town, town
Hey, we're unbreakable

(Yeah, we're unbreakable)
(Yeah, we're unbreakable)

Rachel now moves away from centre stage for the first time in the song as she steps onto the walk way which encompasses a small section of the audience who have a special view of all the artists performing on the night. She walks along the walkway to the camera's left as the other five performers are briefly seen on the walkway on the right. The Mercedinian moves her fingers through her hair as she put plenty of effort into her tone to give off a heartfelt message to the audience. She looks and sings to the audience in the stadium to get them hyped for another chorus which the song was building towards.

And even if we're mountains apart, I will climb (ah, ah, ah)
'cause our hearts and souls are glowing inside, can't deny (ah, ah, ah)
(World, we're unbreakable)
(World, we're unbreakable)

The six performers meet up together in the centre of the island which was connected to both walkways as the instrumental portion of the song returns. The colours begin to swirl and swoosh around as the song builds up to a crescendo once. The five dancers form a ring around Nollov as she gives the notes her all in her big return to representing her nation. To her, it felt good to be back where she first made a significant name for herself, winning the contest with Cosneolta. Steam jets fly from the stage this time, as coloured light shines through the team to create coloured columns rising from the stage floor. The crowd are beginning to get into the song as they are waving their flags now, with the light reflecting off the heads of the audience which the camera sees around the main action.

World, we're unbreakable
Yeah, we're unbreakable
We're gonna run this town, town, town
Hey, we're unbreakable

Steam jets fly from the stage once again as Nollov releases the notes of her life at the contest, reliving the spectacle of singing her song in Kyvivre for the 51st edition of the WorldVision Song Contest. The dancers arrange themselves behind Nollov as she sings the final lines of the songs. They smile with some resting their hand on the shoulder of the main vocalist giving the impression of togetherness on stage, something which the song is keen to mention as its theme, given the context of the revamp and the purpose of it's re-release. The final piano notes sound out, bringing the song to an end.

World, we're unbreakable!
(World, we're) unbreakable
You're gonna run this town, town, town
Yeah, you’re unbreakable

The six of them bow simultaneously with Nollov thanking the audience verbally while her dancers simply smile and wave to the adoring audience. "Thank You Mousiki! Let's make some music!". She smiles and hugs her dancers as the camera cuts to a group of Mercedinian fans blow a kiss into the camera before a transition is made to a postcard of the next performing nation.

[Elejamie]

"... Day four over at the World Cup of Hockey, so we now go over to John Daverson for the sports. John?"

That's right, Steve! Good morning, Elejamie! The Icy Elephants continue their title defence run as they shut out Ko-oren in last night's game. Elejamie, who were the favourites going into the match, were hot off the heels of a hard-fought 2-1 win over Tobiasia, whereas Ko-oren were hoping to pull off an upset after a shut-out of their very own, a 5-0 win against Neo-Romanum. However, it wasn't to be as the Dragonflies went down 5-0 to the group leaders. Here are the highlights:

The first period got off to a bit of a slow start as it took a while for one side to finally get a shot in; a wrist shot from Reimar Lipman that was easily caught by Peter Berg 30 seconds in. Elejamie's first shot came shortly later, with a wrist shot from Stacy Saunders that just hit the post. Shortly afterwards, Adam Keane was sent to the box for two minutes for slashing Faje Zandquist. However, despite this setback, Elejamie were not only able to kill off the penalty but were able to get a short-handed goal with 19:12 left on the clock, thanks to a snap shot and assistance from Cerin Meloten and Lupe. Elejamie would get their second goal halfway through the period when, with 9:45 left on the clock, Anatoly Kasputin intercepted a pass from Lothar Vogelzang to Torsten Groenbloem and netted it with an unassisted slapshot from the point to make it 2-0. However, other than Ulem Aovira having to serve two minutes in the box for hooking with exactly three minutes left on the clock, not much else happened and the period ended with Elejamie 2-0 up.

The second period featured more of the same, with both sides trying to get one over their opponents. Various shots from Cerin Meloten, Anatoly Kasputin, Reimar Lipman, Ulem Aovira and Stacy Saunders all either hit the post or were easily caught by Peter Berg or Hartwig Kersegaard, the Ko-orenite goalie. Even when Acaltif Avilken was thought to have scored, the goal had to be disallowed when it turned out the net had been moved. Eventually, with 14:37 left in the period, Bill Harrison would score goal number three for the Icy Elephants where, thanks to a bit of assistance from Lucas Madgwick and Neil Cuevas as well as a bit of clever deking. Although the party was short-lived thanks to Harrison being sent to the box shortly afterwards for high-sticking, his side were able to kill off the penalty. And then witn 6:42 left in the period, Uvantas Aemilor was given a minor penalty for tripping Pael Atenar; a minute into the power play, Cerin Meloten would get a goal of his own when his wrist shot, assisted by line-mates Stacy Saunders and Anatoly Kasputin, made its way through Kersegaard's five-hole. Not much else happened after that and, with the score 4-0 at the end of the second period, Elejamie seemed to have it all wrapped up.

However, the third period saw Ko-oren do a better job with their defending. Although Hartwig Kersegaard remained on the ice, his defenders seemed to have done a better job keeping the puck out of his net. A potential goal from Saunders was deflected by Kersegaard's stick, with Elis Linddal going on to clear the puck. Goran Magnussen had to spend two minutes in the box for charging, although fortunately his side was able to kill off the penalty. . The only goal of the period was scored when, with 5:11 left in the period, Paul Morton won the face-off and passed it to Lucas Madgwick, whose one-timer bounced off of Kersegaard's stick before Bill Harrison netted it to make it 5-0. The downside was that the Dragonflies were unable to put the puck past Peter Berg, with every shot on goal either being caught, bouncing off the post or going wide and then getting cleared. Even as Kersegaard was taken off to be replaced by an extra attacker, neither side were able to score and the match ended in a 5-0 victory for Elejamie.

In a post-match interview, head coach Michael Madgwick said "Well that was a good game all-round. Peter did very well in between the pipes, blocking out every single shot directed towards his goal. Anatoly did a very good job up front, getting a good couple of goals and a great assist. Cerin wasn't a slouch either, as his goal and assist can prove. Bill was a surprise star with a brilliant couple of goals. Overall, I'm pleased with the boys and I hope we can carry this on. Next question."

"Do you think you'll get a fifth win tomorrow?"

"I think we should. We've got a good defensive record so far, with only three goals conceded. And while our scorers could use a bit of improvement in some areas, fluffing shots they could've easily buried, I'm still pleased with them. 6-2 and 5-0 aren't bad, after all. And while the aim here is to get a perfect run here in the group stage, with ten wins from all ten games, I understand that that won't be an easy feat, especially considering a few of our opponents. But I'm sure we'll be able to get close enough to it."

Elsewhere Kilaguni suffered their fourth defeat in a row as they lost 5-2 to Neo-Romanum, whereas the Alpine Union managed to edge out Tobiasia thanks to a 4-3 win. As we go over to the Group 2 tables, we can see that Elejamie remains out on top with four wins and no draws or defeats totalling 12 points. The Alpine Union move up to second place thanks to that win earlier and sit comfortably with 9 points; Tobiasia, on the other hand, slip down to third with 6 points. Ko-oren are in fourth place, also with 6 points, put behind due to goal difference; +3 as opposed to +2. And Neo-Romanum are in fifth place with 3 points from their sole win so far against Kilaguni, who are in last with no points from four losses.

As we go over to tomorrow, we can see the last games of the first half of the tournament. Tobiasia will be up against Kilaguni, whereas Ko-oren will hope to bounce back in their game against the Alpine Union. But, most importantly, we have Elejamie vs Neo-Romanum. Will the Icy Elephants finish the first half of their group with a perfect record? Or will their opponents pull off a shock and shave a few points off? Find out tomorrow on Puck Drop.

Meanwhile, over in Group 8, Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland were on the receiving end of a blowout as they were destroyed by Maryloupe 8-2. This wasn't the first blowout for Schutzenphalia in this tournament, however, as they were on the receiving end of a 7-1 destruction by Siovanija and Teusland a couple of nights ago...

---

Period			P1	P2	P3	FS
Ko-oren			0	0	0	0
Elejamie		2	2	1	5

Three Stars:
Anatoly Kasputin (2G, 1A, 3 points)
Peter Berg (19 shots allowed, 19 saved, 100SV%)
Bill Harrison (2G, 0A, 2 points)

[Austrakia]

Monk's Garden
Pine Park (National Gendarmerie HQ)
Geneva, Geneva Canton, Neu Engollon

Walther was breathing so deeply, he was beginning to hyperventilate. The fresh air felt amazing after so long without it. Every smell, every trickle of breeze, every minute sound, even of needles and twigs crunching under foot, or the rabbits scampering in bushes nearby and squirrels up above chattering with each other; it all was almost an assault on his senses.

He didn't remember things smelling and looking so good. Even Celeste looked better in the daylight, and she was an attractive woman to begin with, even in the pale light of the session room. She had wavy brown hair, and aquiline, but petite nose and a rounded chin and brown glasses that framed her face well. He would never share all that with her, though, for various reasons.

All it had cost him was a small admission that he might have been up to something he should not be doing. No confession to sign or panel to face. Not yet, anyway. That was still probably on the horizon, he was sure.
He knew something else that he wouldn't let on. He knew where they were. Not only did he see familiar buildings in the distance, but even without those glimpses, he knew the layout of this garden grounds quite well. He was in Monk's Garden in Pine Park, in the capital of the Confederacy, Geneva.

When a young agent in training, one of his projects had been to study the campus of the National Gendarmerie headquarters for their main foe. He knew every meter of it with certainty. It was an advantage he would need to keep to himself, right up until he put it into play.

"Slow down, Walt. We have plenty of time."

"I can take it all in later, Doc. Right now, I really need to stretch my legs."

It was the first time he had seen her really annoyed since she had taken over the sessions. She was keeping up, and had been smart enough to not wear heals or something so impractical, but still she was not able to both maintain a conversation and keep pace with him.

“Can you please slow down? This isn’t an exercise session, Walt.”

He had pushed it to the furthest point he could. Any more and he would not get back here again. More months to possibly years of confinement with no taste of the fresh air. Plus, the ability to make plans for his own liberation. That liberation which neither the Confederacy nor the Bundesrepublik cared to expedite for his sake. He slowed his trot.
“I’m sorry, I just was so excited. It’s so exhilarating after so long being...cooped up.”

She sighed. “I understand, but if I have to keep asking you to cooperate and you don’t acknowledge me like this, our agreement will change. Do you understand that?”

He slowed down, letting the female NESA psychologist match pace with him. “Yes, I understand, Dr. Celeste. I really was just excited. You have to believe me.”

“I do, but we don’t have a lot of flexibility here. It’s well beyond me, Walt. If you don’t listen to me, then my superiors don’t listen to me either and the consequences start cascading down.”

“Yes. That would be bad. It has been bad.”

“How so?”

“I think that I have fallen victim to this chain of events in the past months.”

Celeste nodded, but didn’t reply.

“You agree?”

“I’m just nodding that I acknowledge you feel that way. Tell me when you felt like this? What do you think you did to provoke the ‘chain of events’, as you call it?”

Walther sighed. He wouldn’t get both a wonderful walk in nature and a break from the head shrinking. Might as well play along for now as to not jeopardize this opportunity for later.

[-Anthor-]

How We Got Here

This Post May Contain Mature Content. Be Warned.

Inspector Arthur Elder
Criminal Investigative Unit Office, Desk of Inspector Elder
Glenpark Police Sub-Station, Neighborhood of Glenpark, City of Rogate
Baltha 46, 602AE, 2:47 PM

After spending a good hour or two of his time at the crime scene over by Braith's Market for his morning, Arthur had departed from the scene once the medical examiner had arrived and conducted a basic examination, able to answer a few limited queries from Arthur before insisting all other information would have to wait till after the autopsy. Arthur had agreed begrudgingly to go along with this, and he had been waiting to grab his ringing cell phone since then, eagerly waiting for news from the medical office that they had discovered something, some form of clue for him to follow.

After he had left the scene, he had spent the next few hours that remained in the morning driving all across Glenpark, traveling to the few sports bar establishments or other such venues that would entertain such a crowd in the neighborhood, and even traveling a few blocks outside of Glenpark and into Rogate proper itself, but after making contact with the owners of four bars, three taverns, 2 arcades, and one club and left messages on the voice boxes of more then double that number, Arthur had been unable to find anyone who recognized the picture he had taken of the man. Of course, this was not the only way he was searching for his first goal, the victim's identity. He was running with the assumption that he was Krennoran, so therefore he had forwarded the picture over to the Customs Office to run it through their databases to see if he could get a passport photo hit or security camera footage, but those databases were huge as thousands if not hundreds of thousands went in and out of airports, rail and bus terminals, and docks every day of every week throughout Anthor, with destinations that were both international and domestic.

In addition to that, forensics was also running the photograph against Rogate's own collection of data, comparing it against everything from CCTV camera feed, pictures taken and posted on local social media, or even government records; just in case Arthur was wrong and the man was Anthoran. Of course, while he had all this support staff and cooperating agencies to assist him in the search, he still had to do the leg work for the majority of the case, as it was his to own and since it potentially involved the death of a tourist and with the WCOH as a backdrop, the Captain made it clear solving this one and finding the perpetrators was a top priority, so he had his other cases re-assigned so he could solely focus on this one. He pulled open a new tab on his computer's internet browser and quickly typed the address of Poole Ring's website into the address bar at the top of the screen and waited a few moments as the city-bought web service loaded the colorful web page, which was fully advertising the Cup festivities and games being hosted at the Ring, but Arthur quickly scrolled through the page looking for the stereotypical 'Contact Us' box that most had, and once he found the number, he quickly picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the number into it, waiting a few moments as it rang before after an audible click, he was greeted by the professional, friendly greeting of a concierge attendant. "Good afternoon sir, this is Investigator Elder calling from Rogate PD; I'm currently working on a case and I was wondering, does the Ring currently have any deals in place where it had some sponsorship open for the Cup that were taken up by bar's in the local area, or arranged deals with some local establishments to suggest them to tourists?"

"Give me one second, Investigator and let me look for you."

Arthur idly tapped his index finger on his free hand as he waited for the employee to get back to him, and the wait was brief before he heard audio again. "Investigator, I was able to find something that sounds like you were looking for. We reached a deal with some local bars and pubs to suggest them to visiting hockey fans as great places to experience the World Cup if they weren't able to get a seat inside the Ring itself. It numbers a few establishments, precisely 7 of them, most of which are in the two blocks around the arena."

"Great, can you send me an email of the official list or a flyer or something?"

"Of course, let me have your email and I can forward it immediately."

Arthur quickly relayed over his professional workplace email account name to the attendant and then bid him to have a good day before he hung up the phone and ended the call. He ran his hands through his loose brown hair that was just kept in a slightly messy brush back style. His eyes wandered over to the digital clock on the bottom corner of his computer screen and noticed it was nearly three, and he stood up from his chair in the middle of the wide, expansive room and began to make his way towards the break room where they had coffee stored at almost all times, figuring that he both deserved a cup of coffee after spending all these hours split between a phone conversation or the glaring computer screen, and also that by the time he retrieved his coffee, put the correct amount of sugar in it as he liked, he would probably have that email. He went about pouring the coffee and adding the four sugars he needed to get it to be the highly sweet flavor he preferred, and then took a stir stick and idly began stirring it as he walked back from the east side of the room towards the center, where his desk sat. The room itself was large, probably around five hundred or more square feet and was filled from the front to back of its violet blue walls with cream stained wooden desks. The desks themselves were not separated by cubicles, they had been in years past but the station had gotten a heavy facelit inside and out a few years back and as apart of the Department's efforts to modernize the work place, they opened things up some by removing cubicles. Instead, where each of the four desks that were placed together in a large square met a half-wall rose up that allowed them enough room mount notes and memoes, but still allowed them to see each other's faces. Arthur himself shared his workspace area with three other investigators he worked with but they had received all of his other cases, so he had no doubt that those eight were keeping them busy as he was, if not more.

He made it back to his desk and upon sitting down noticed that his inbox had an unread message in it and after a few seconds discovered it was indeed the very message he had been waiting for; with two clicks of the mouse and then some careful examination with his eyes, he pushed some folders aside and pulled a memo pad out from under them and then retrieved a pen from the inside pocket of his jacket and began writing down the names of the establishments that the Ring was advertising; he was riding on a hunch that maybe this man had seen a game at the Ring, or seen a television advert, and had visited one of these establishments, and perhaps he could get lucky...

6:15 pm

"I swear, what ever happened to the old stories where detectives got every clue they needed to advance to the scummy alley in a cozy pub room?"

Arthur bitterly thought to himself as he walked out of the White Shield, striking out once again as he had now visited all but the last of the establishments on his list, and all of them had been as unsuccessful as his adventures earlier this morning. He began walking his way back over to his car that had been parked across the street in a parking lot, carefully waiting for traffic on the two lane road to cease before jogging across, drawing his double breasted jacket in closer and zipping it up as the Anthoran night brought the cold in more, and he wished to keep his body heat warm. He made it back to his car and no sooner then as he had sat down and started the ignition that his cell began ringing. He retrieved from one of the interior pockets of his suit jacket and noticed the caller id identified the caller as Kiersten Faucher, from the forensics unit. He quickly took the call, hoping maybe his counterpart had more success then he had managed all day.

"Ms.Faucher, I thought you frockies ended your day at five so you could catch all the games."

Kiersten returned Arthur's tease with a poignant, crisp laugh "Indeed Investigator, and we also get to wait until 11 to start so we can ensure to get our beauty sleep - after all we are the face of the department."

" I'm going to go ahead and assume you're not inviting me to Jyniksson's for a pint and so we can watch the Ducks test the strength of those nets?"

"Unfortunately you have assumed rightly Elder. I staid behind to finish up some lab work on items we came across at the last minute, but I was calling to let you know that the medical office has sent us the autopsy report. I already forwarded it to your computer but your partners told me you were out galvanizing around the tourist traps so I thought I'd call and give you the quick version."

"What's the highlight plays?"

"Death was from blunt force trauma, not bleed out as I and perhaps yourself reasoned. Specifically, the ME notes repetitive heavy blows to the skull, though he does note that while a majority of the blows were landed to the victims face and top of his skull there was a large bruise on the back of his neck and lower skull from an earlier strike; he guesses it is from the same event though it is possible it is from something entirely else. Additionally, the lacerations of the lewd message were shallow, stating he believes anything from a common pocket knife to a penknife was used though he doubts anything larger otherwise the cuts would have been deeper. Also, with the degree of the cuts he's reasoning whoever did the desecration one did it while our victim was still alive, but not too long before expiration, and secondly, they were either rushing or handicapped in someway."

"Like they were inebriated?"

"Possibly, but it could have been anything else. Also Elder, street officers got back to me, they managed to recover an item of interest in their final sweeps from today; the officer in question waited till end of tour to turn the item into my office; the murder weapon."

Arthur sat up in his chair, slightly more awake "You have my attention Ms. Faucher, do tell me everything."

"Wooden cricket bat, has blood and skin fragments on the end of it matching that of John Doe. That's about everything I have, further in-depth analysis will take us a few days, we're coordinating with labs outside of Rogate for this one. Any luck on IDing our victim?"

"I think I've been to more bars and pubs today then an university freshman visits in one week during the new semester, but I have one more place to go before I'm calling it in for the night; I don't want to get caught up with the tourist crowd for the games and they should be starting here in an hour or so."

"Well, best of luck Elder I'll call with more news once I get any."

The call ended, and Arthur stored the phone back away into his jacket pocket before reversing his car out of the parking spot and heading for the final stop of his search for the night, hoping the Gods blessed him with far better luck then he had received all day.

[-Anthor-]

World Cup of Hockey 36
Match Day 5 Cutoff
Brought to you by the Anthoran Ice Hockey Federation, and its many fans!

Group 1
Austrakia 0–6 Free Republics
The South Falls 1–2 Neu Engollon
Detroit-Sud 1–4 Mercedini

  Group 1                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Neu Engollon                                   5    5   0   0    20    9  +11    15    —    —   5–3   —   5–0  4–2
2 Mercedini                                      5    4   0   1    21   12   +9    12   3–4   —   6–3  3–1   —    — 
3 Free Republics                                 5    3   0   2    19   15   +4     9    —    —    —   6–4   —   1–0
4 The South Falls                                5    1   0   4    16   18   −2     3   1–2   —    —    —    —   9–1
5 Austrakia                                      5    1   0   4     9   18   −9     3    —   3–5  0–6  6–1   —    — 
6 Detroit-Sud                                    5    1   0   4     5   18  −13     3    —   1–4   —    —   1–0   —

Group 2
Tobiasia 6–1 Kilaguni
Ko-oren 0–2 Alpine Union
Neo-Romanum 1–1 Elejamie

  Group 2                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Elejamie                                       5    4   1   0    16    4  +12    13    —   6–2   —   5–0   —   2–0
2 Alpine Union                                   5    4   0   1    20   12   +8    12    —    —   4–3   —   5–1  7–2
3 Tobiasia                                       5    3   0   2    16    8   +8     9   1–2   —    —   1–0   —   6–1
4 Ko-oren                                        5    2   0   3     8    8    0     6    —   0–2   —    —   5–0   — 
5 Neo-Romanum                                    5    1   1   3     8   18  −10     4   1–1   —   1–5   —    —    — 
6 Kilaguni                                       5    0   0   5     5   23  −18     0    —    —    —   0–3  2–5   —

Group 3
Kita-Hinode 8–0 Ranoria
Cassadaigua 2–3 Abanhfleft
Halfdansodal 3–1 South Covello

  Group 3                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Kita-Hinode                                    5    4   0   1    20    6  +14    12    —    —   1–0  3–1   —   8–0
2 Abanhfleft                                     5    4   0   1    19    8  +11    12   5–2   —    —    —   6–1  5–2
3 South Covello                                  5    3   0   2     8    4   +4     9    —   1–0   —   5–0   —   1–0
4 Cassadaigua                                    5    2   0   3    20   16   +4     6    —   2–3   —    —   8–2   — 
5 Halfdansodal                                   5    1   0   4     8   24  −16     3   0–6   —   3–1   —    —    — 
6 Ranoria                                        5    1   0   4     8   25  −17     3    —    —    —   3–9  3–2   —

Group 4
Equestrian States 7–3 Lycrabon
Thibaea 6–3 Banija
Jebslund 0–5 Valanora

  Group 4                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Valanora                                       5    4   1   0    19    7  +12    13    —   3–1  5–2   —    —   2–2
2 Thibaea                                        5    3   0   2    19   13   +6     9    —    —   6–3   —   7–1   — 
3 Banija                                         5    3   0   2    15   13   +2     9    —    —    —   2–1  2–1  6–0
4 Equestrian States                              5    2   1   2    17   12   +5     7   2–4  5–1   —    —    —   7–3
5 Jebslund                                       5    0   2   3    10   22  −12     2   0–5   —    —   2–2   —    — 
6 Lycrabon                                       5    0   2   3    12   25  −13     2    —   1–4   —    —   6–6   —

Group 5
The Sherpa Empire 4–4 Lochario
Gergary 2–5 Cosumar
Benin-Togo 3–5 Anthor

  Group 5                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Anthor                                         5    4   1   0    25   12  +13    13    —   6–6   —   3–0  6–2   — 
2 Cosumar                                        5    3   2   0    30   20  +10    11    —    —   6–5  8–2   —   5–5
3 The Sherpa Empire                              5    2   1   2    21   17   +4     7   1–5   —    —   4–4  6–0   — 
4 Lochario                                       5    1   2   2    14   20   −6     5    —    —    —    —   1–1  7–4
5 Gergary                                        5    1   1   3    10   19   −9     4    —   2–5   —    —    —   5–1
6 Benin-Togo                                     5    0   1   4    15   27  −12     1   3–5   —   2–5   —    —    —

Group 6
Razenthuria 5–2 Krenorus
North Prarie 4–6 Qasden
New Jarwel 5–3 Savojarna

  Group 6                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Qasden                                         5    4   1   0    20   10  +10    13    —   3–1   —    —   1–0  7–2
2 Razenthuria                                    5    4   0   1    16    6  +10    12    —    —   4–0  2–1   —   5–2
3 Savojarna                                      5    2   1   2    17   16   +1     7   3–3   —    —   6–4   —   5–0
4 North Prarie                                   5    2   0   3    15   16   −1     6   4–6   —    —    —   3–0   — 
5 New Jarwel                                     5    1   0   4     8   15   −7     3    —   0–4  5–3   —    —    — 
6 Krenorus                                       5    1   0   4    10   23  −13     3    —    —    —   2–3  4–3   —

Group 7
St.Saratoga 4–2 Routcher
Northwest Kalactin 0–5 Cosneolta
Mapletish 2–3 Vilitia & Turori

  Group 7                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Vilitia & Turori                               5    5   0   0    21    3  +18    15    —   6–1  5–0   —    —   3–0
2 Cosneolta                                      5    4   0   1    23    8  +15    12    —    —    —   2–1  6–0  9–1
3 Northwest Kalactin                             5    2   1   2    17   15   +2     7    —   0–5   —    —   7–1   — 
4 St.Saratoga                                    5    2   1   2    15   13   +2     7   0–4   —   4–4   —    —   4–2
5 Mapletish                                      5    1   0   4    10   26  −16     3   2–3   —    —   1–6   —    — 
6 Routcher                                       5    0   0   5     7   28  −21     0    —    —   0–6   —   4–6   —

Group 8
Siovanija & Teusland 8–0 Maryloupe
United States of Devonta 4–8 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland 1–2 Novaya Zemlya

  Group 8                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Novaya Zemlya                                  5    4   1   0    17    5  +12    13    —   7–2   —   4–0  0–0   — 
2 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                        5    4   0   1    20   12   +8    12    —    —   2–1   —   6–0  2–0
3 Siovanija & Teusland                           5    3   0   2    22    9  +13     9   2–4   —    —   4–2  8–0   — 
4 United States of Devonta                       5    2   0   3    12   20   −8     6    —   4–8   —    —    —   3–2
5 Maryloupe                                      5    1   1   3    10   19   −9     4    —    —    —   2–3   —   8–2
6 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland       5    0   0   5     6   22  −16     0   1–2   —   1–7   —    —    —

[Mapletish]

The Sour Kind
"I only know one thing, that is I know nothing"

World Cup Of Hockey 36 | Timothy Jozua

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
Mapletish	0	1	1	2
Vilita & Turori	1	1	1	3

Minnows falter in front of Ice Cats

The inexperienced Minnows opened the match today with little expectation of coming away with a victory or a result as the multiverse number 2 are a force to be reckoned with. That being said, as the underdogs, the Minnows hoped to pull off some surprises if there were any chances to. The match started off with a face off that is won by Centerm Ocean Suzgar. The Alikki Corra Aye Ayes man beat Luciano on the face off and was quick to pull off an attacking move for his side. Relaying the puck back to River Suzgar, and relaying it around their half as the Minnows went in for an aggressive press. Kevin Diesel spotted the opportunity to slot a pass over to Dolak Vintal-Morta who was on an attacking move forward and the latter would calmly slot the puck over Rasmus to open the scoring for the Ice Cats. Mapletish 0-1 Vilita & Turori.

For the fifth match running, it was the opponents who scored first. The Minnows would struggle to formulate a response for the goal as they failed to break open Avalanski's net or the Ice Cats like to call him, Snowman. Don't let his name fool you though, he wasn't as stiff as a snowman and no, he doesn't have a fat belly. The agile keeper kept out the Minnows' attacks. Luciano was the Minnows' creative sparks as he won the puck from Kevin Diesel. The former nutmegged Dolak and spun past the on rushing Cartai Chiate before unleashing a shot on goal which was blocked by Snowman. The Fireykop groaned at the opportunity which could have been a comeback goal for the Minnows.

The Minnows would put a few more efforts on goal in a match that was controlled in the middle of the rink as both sides fought for the possession of the puck as they denied each other's attacking moves. Fran got hold of the puck after a failed Ice Cat's attacking move was blocked by Minnows' goaltender Rasmus. Having blocked the puck, the puck was deflected in the path of Fran who made good use of the opportunity to start an attacking move of his own. He would find Buckholz open and relayed a pass over to him. Buckholz would speed up and zipped past River Suzgar. Faking a drag shot and relaying the pass over to Gabriel, Snowman was right on hand to block the resulting back stick shot by Gabriel, much to the relieve ofthe Ice Cats' head coach Avalan Marcraw.

The Minnows would find themselves another attacking opportunity after Gabriel got fouled right in front of the Ice Cat's goal. The Ice Cats looked pretty solid to defend in the resulting free hit right in front of goal. However, Luciano was not intimated by the sturdy wall. He tried to slip a shot right in the top corner of Snowman's net but it was well blocked by the goaltender much to the frustration of Luciano who thought it was a perfect shot to have landed with the wall taking its time to react to the shot. Grabbing the puck, Snowman yelled at his defence to wake up.

It wasn't only the Minnows who were piling on the chances, the Ice Cats were also much in their own world when it comes to the attack. Also a highly aggressive team and not giving their opponents time to think on the puck, the Ice Cats stripped the possession off Jordán through Cartai Chiate who would unleashed a shot quickly off a dribble against Rasmus, however it was blocked by Rasmus and subsequently cleared away by Fran before River Suzgar was able to get to the rebound.

The final buzzer for the first period sounded and the Ice Cats were ahead 1-0.

The second period was an intense one as both sides tried to get one over the other. The Ice Cats were the first to open the second period with a neat goal from Chiate. Kevin Diesel was in possession of the puck before relaying it around with Dolak Vintal-Morta and River Suzgar. River Suzgar picked up the end of the passing move and did a one two with Chiate before attempting a shot on target against Rasmus. Rasmus was first to the puck and blocked it but Chiate was just in time for the rebound and got the goal. Mapletish 0-2 Vilita & Turori.

The Minnows would come out with the perfect response with a Luciano and Buckholz combination in the 7th minute. Buckholz dispossessed Diesel as the latter moved forward into the the Maplish half. Moving on with Luciano and relaying around passes with each other, a last touch one two between two saw Luciano getting the end of the passing move and slotting the puck past Snowman. The Minnows have scored for the first time in this match. Mapletish 1-2 Vilita & Turrori.

The Ice Cats were closed to pick out another goal for the match. However, Rasmus was right there to stop that from happening. Chiate was quick to dispossess Buckholz who was unable to start his attacking move. Chiate then skated forward and relay the puck over to River Suzgar on the flanks. Suzgar would cut in and break away from Jordán and launched a quick wrist shot against Rasmus. Rasmus was right on hand to block the puck away.

The Minnows were also closed on their attacking attempts as well. Gabriel dispossessed River Suzgar on the puck and juggled the puck through the ice and did a quick relay to Buckholz. Buckholz then spun off Vintal-Morta and attempted a quick shot on Snowman but the shot went off and hit the crossbar and landed right in Snowman's hands as he picked it up calmly. Buckholz could only watch as his attempt go into the drain.

The second period ended with the Ice Cats ahead 2-1.

The third attempt saw the Ice Cats opening the scoring and taking the scoreline to 3-1 before the Minnows claw one back to make it 3-2. It continued to be a play for possession as both sides attempted to control the puck and moved into the attack as they found it a little difficult to get the momentum and control the game.

The Ice Cats would see Ocean Suzgar taking their third goal of the match as he picked up the puck from River Suzgar after clustering their passes in their own half with Diesel and Vintal Morta playing out the passes between each other. River must have spotted a gap there when he relayed the puck over to Ocean Suzgar who would attempt a quick drag shot to put the puck past Johnson Rasmus. Mapletish 1-3 Vilita & Turori.

The Minnows would formulate a response later in the period in the 10th minute with Luciano controlling the puck and relayed it over to Fran and Jordán as they clustered their passes together and Luciano was at the end of the passing move. He would then beat the on rushing Diesel and squared the puck over to Buckholz who would slot the puck calmly over Snowman. Mapletish 2-3 Vilita & Turori.

The match would end with the Ice Cats picking up the three points there and amassed 15 points over the 5 matches while the Minnows only picked up 3 points in 5 matches. The gap in the quality there. Kike attended the post match press conference with a tint of positivism in his aurora. "The match today was close and the team put in many good opportunities but unfortunately luck was not only our side once again and we were unable to come out with the win today. Props to the Fireykop for sticking through and we are not halfway through the WCOH. The Minnows might not be able to come out of the group stage but I hope that the exposure and the experience that the Minnows have gained throughout this group stage will be valuable in our future endeavours. This is a young team and there is a lot that we can work on and I am hopeful of more positive results in the 2nd half of the group stage matches."

Player Statistics
#Num	Name			G	A	Pts
#2	Tiburcio Fran		1	1	2
#3      Florentino Jordán       1	2	3
#4      Clemente Luciano        5       3       8
#5      Dudley Buckholz         2       2       4
#6      Ángel Gabriel		1	2	3
#8      Royce Kaczmarski	0	0	0	 
#9      Kareem Solomon		0	0	0
#10     Régulo Josepe		0	0	0
#11     Nazario Julio		0	0	0
#12     Gil Toño		0	0	0
#14     Bonifacio Manu		0	0	0
#15     Eleuterio Alberto	0	0	0	
#16     Grimaldo Primitivo 	0	0	0	
#17     Tulio Marcos		0	0	0
#18     Vern Swindall		0	0	0

Num	Name		GP	W	L	T	GA	SA	GAA	S%	SO
#1	Johnson Rasmus	5       1	4	0	26	85	5.2	69.4	0 
#7	Ismael Chucho   0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	
#13	Jafet Hugo      0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Match 5
Clemente Luciano - 1G + 1A
Dudley Buckholz - 1G + 1A

[Ko-oren]

And for today, one that will be recognisable to the other 33% of the league. Most of the northeastern parts of Ko-oren were settled very late, by the time a centralised bureaucratic state had already been set up in the very innermost region of the Bay of Ko-oren. From there on out, people set up small trade networks to towns further and further away from the centre of Ko-orenite civilisation, past cities such as Aminey and Schemerdrecht. A decent distance past Schemerdrecht, along the northern coast of the Bay, they found that there were many useful materials from metals to skins, but there was no way of collecting those. So, they set up frontier towns all along the bountiful coast, with the most prominent settlements right where large rivers empty out into the sea. The settlements on the most important rivers are the most important cities in that region down to today, and this is where a few of the ice hockey teams are from.

As for the success rate of these frontier towns: they were profitable, though not as much as they hoped in the centre of Ko-orenite power. It took many resources to keep the settlements afloat, while many without noble goals also flocked to these areas. In some towns, it was a gold rush without the gold. Many of the picturesque towns still exist, though some are empty, and some have been repopulated later. Many settlements were never left to begin with. Nowadays, natural resources are still important to the area but not as much as back then. More importantly, it was the first time that the central state of Ko-oren was powerful enough to call itself master over the entire landmass, deciding that the coast was to be colonised. It was also significant in that the existing trade networks easily incorporated the new region, and there was no resistance from cities that have always tried to stay away from the central state. This ushered in an era where Ko-oren started to come together as a country.

Even today, the word 'Frontier' is still used to refer to the region. To 'go frontiering' still means going further than you've ever been (geographically), and while the towns themselves seem unimportant, their implications for the nation of Ko-oren were enormous.

The Frontier

Canon #7: Gardens of Ko-oren
1. Botanical Garden of Katashi
2. Fields of Grainshire
3. Anarcourt Estate Gardens
4. Greencaster Grand Park
5. Rozenvoorde
6. Experimental Garden of Maynard
7. Llandy Map of Ko-oren
8. Activity Garden, Willowbourne
9. Floral Path, Maethoru-Senoren-Mayara
X. Terrace Estate, Arakura
=. Amillon Pavilions
0. Garden of Eden, Santa Teresa

[Union of Socialist Alpine Republics]

The Alpine Union blanks Ko-oren

Avon City, Anthor - (NAP) After winning 4-3 against Tobiasia in a hockey thriller, the Alpine Union blanked Ko-oren 2-0. Ko-oren was the "home" team and wore their home colors which are green while the Alpine Union was wearing white. The Alpine Union had a good chance to score midway in the 1st period when Emilia Zyskowska skated with the puck on a two on one with Melania Zyskowska. Emilia passed to Melania who shoots but Hartwig Kersegaard made a sensational save and the score is still 0-0.

With 14 minutes remaining in the second period, Emilia Zyskowska carries the puck into Ko-oren territory, she skates behind and around the net and passed to defenseman Szymon Krzysztalowicz who fakes a shot and passes to Melania Zyskowska who shoots. Hartwig Kersegaard makes the save but doesn't control the rebound and Emilia Zyskowska shoots the lose puck into the net, it's a goal for the Bisons and the score is 1-0! Ko-oren had a chance to tie the game with 8 minutes remainign in the 2nd period when Elis Linddal passed to Faje Zandquist who was on a breakaway. Zandquist tried to put the puck past Jenni Kekäläinen but she stopped him. The score is 1-0 at the end of the 2nd period.

With just one minute left in the 3rd period, Ko-oren is pulling their goalie for an extra attacker. Reimar Lipman has the puck in Alpine territory and passed to Faje Zandquist who passed to Avanlaf Aeritsa at the blue line. Aeritsa tried to pass to Ulem Aovira but Zofia Stepniewska intercepts the pass and clears the puck which slowly goes in Ko-oren territory without crossing the icing line. Elis Linddal picks up the puck and carries it in Alpine territory. He shoots it in the right corner of the ice hoping a teammate will pick it up but goalkeeper Jenni Kekäläinen leaves her crease, takes the puck with her stick and shoots it in Ko-oren's empty net. The Reprezentacja Alpejski is leading 2-0 and this is the final score!

The Alpine Union is still 2nd with 12 points in 5 games, one point behind Elejamie who drew with Neo-Romanum. Elejamie has now 13 points. Tobiasia is still 3 points behind the Bisons with 9 points while Ko-oren is now 4th in the standings with 6 points. This concludes the 1st half of the group stage and the Alpine union's next game will be "away" against Neo-Romanum before playing against Elejamie at "home".

BOXSCORE

1st period
No score

2nd period
13:38 - Emilia Zyskowska assisted by Melania Zyskowska and Szymon Krzysztalowicz

3rd period
0:34 - Jenni Kekäläinen unassisted (EN)

[Vilitia and Turori]

Wormhole Sees Alternate Universe with extra "I"

You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Wormhole!" - If you are a fan of the hit podshow 'The Wormhole' then those words will likely instill excitement and anticipation for what is to come. Thankfully for those fans, there will be plenty to anticipate as it has been confirmed that 'The Wormhole' has been picked up for another season of episodes.

Long throughout the history of the multiverse there have been implications of an alternate universe that exists - or perhaps an universe alternativia of sorts - an area of time and space whereby nations not unlike those in our multiverse exist - but exist with an extra "I".

Such nations include Pasargia, Vilitia, Banijia, Valanoria, Mattijania, Sargossia, Savojarnia and Lovisia. And now, Vilitia & Turori.

While the live dimensional Vilitans and Turorians had been teaming up in sporting competition throughout modern history - and doing so quite effectively including being crowned two-time Atlantian Oceania Hockey Cup winners, lifting the 34th World Cup of Hockey and most recently winning AOCAF 56 in the Equestrian States; It would mark the first time that the trans-dimensional Vilitias would team up with any dimensional Turorians in sporting competition - at least that anyone this side of the Wormhole was aware of.

With Vilita & Turori's title defense ending short of its goal during the 35th World Cup of Hockey after a 3-2 Overtime defeat to Elejamie in the World Cup of Hockey 35 Semi-Finals, the time was apparently right for the Vilitians to cross the inter-dimensional threshold with their own Turorian counterparts and show the rest of the multiverse what they had to offer.

Flag of Vilitia and Turori

After Vilita & Turori were drawn into a hotly contested Group 7 by the Anthorian overlords, the Vilitians swooped in and stole control of the Jungle Teal and Cove blue teams fixture schedule which included Cosneolta, Mapletish, Northwest Kalactin and St. Saratoga. Perhaps it worked out nicely for the Vilitians as when compared with the other seven groups contesting the World Cup of Hockey, no other group had provided as much media coverage particularly when it came to team sheets and scouting reports of their squad.

Despite competing in the World Cup of Hockey for the first time ever, Vilitia & Turori seemed to show no ill-effects of passing through the Wormhole picking up right where their live dimensional counterparts might have left off. After five games of play in Group seven Vilitia & Turori were top of the charts having posted 21 goals in five matches including a 5-0 victory over Northwest Kalactin and a 6-1 victory over Mapletish.

  Group 7                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Vilitia & Turori                               5    5   0   0    21    3  +18    15    —   6–1  5–0   —    —   3–0
2 Cosneolta                                      5    4   0   1    23    8  +15    12    —    —    —   2–1  6–0  9–1
3 Northwest Kalactin                             5    2   1   2    17   15   +2     7    —   0–5   —    —   7–1   — 
4 St.Saratoga                                    5    2   1   2    15   13   +2     7   0–4   —   4–4   —    —   4–2
5 Mapletish                                      5    1   0   4    10   26  −16     3   2–3   —    —   1–6   —    — 
6 Routcher                                       5    0   0   5     7   28  −21     0    —    —   0–6   —   4–6   —

Having proved their competitiveness with victories over each of the Group 7's five opponents it is unclear how long the Vilitan's and their dimensional Turorian counterparts will remain on the live side of the wormhole - whether they have another five matches in them or they need to return to their own alternate dimension. Whatever the decision, however, if the united dimensional V&T Squad fail to win the 36th World Cup of Hockey they certainly won't be able to fault the contribution of their Wormhole travelling alter-ego's during the Group Stage.

---

[North Prarie]

North Prarie National Hockey Team


Nation: North Prarie
Region: The South Pacific
Trigramme: NRP
Uniforms: The WCoH Full Line by Merrida Sportswear
Goal Horn: Horn: (Only listen to 0:08)
Goal Song: Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes
National Anthem:The People's Song of the Prarie

---

ROSTER

Role                     Name               
Head Coach               Carlos Stevens   
Assistant Coach          Shawn Kristoff        
Offensive Coordinator    Kane Johnson      
Defensive Coordinator    Steven Corporani 
Goalie Coordinator       Ben Begerson

##  P   Name                
1st Line Offense
19 C	Dustin Benolken         
7 LW	Kyle Biros  
72 RW Max Powers-Kane	   

2nd Line Offense
90   C	Justin Wright  
2  LW	Mikko Meier     
27  RW	Jordan Hornqvist   

3rd Line Offense
84  C	       Ben Holmes	   
27  LW	Tim Paris	   
15  RW	Patrick Eberle

##  P   Name               
1st Line Defense
11   LD	Presley O'Wright	   
89  RD	Philip Jefferson	   

2nd Line Defense
 12  LD	P.K. Rockford   
 37  RD	Brent Subban	   

3rd Line Defense
18  LD	Victor Klingberg	   
20  RD	Matthew Konisberg

##  P   Name                
Goalkeepers
1   GK	Devan Crawford
99  GK	Corey Dubbis   
75  GK	Marco Defluer

---

STRATEGY
Style Mod: +2

---

RP PERMISSIONS
Choose my Scorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: Yes
RP Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Injuries to my Players: No
Godmod Other Events: No killing

Credits to St. Saratoga for format ideas

Stadiums
The home games will be held at arenas all over the country. Here's a list.
Lighthouse Retirement Center, Stonebridge-Image
Familysave Arena, Durham-Image
RiverCredit Center, Cobblestone Lake City-Image
James A. Allen Arena, King Lake-Image
Pompeii Center, Highland-Image
Most of these stadiums, with the exception of James A. Allen Arena, are used mainly for superball, though they house NPHL and NPBA teams as well.

[Neu Engollon]

St. Alois Bridge
Over The Thal River
Border between Neu Engollon and Austrakia

The St. Alois Bridge was 433 years old and had been a key piece of diplomacy between the Bundesrepublik and the Confederacy. It was a well crafted bridge wide enough to fit two large modern vehicles side by side. While being functional up to and including the current day, it also served as a sort of memorial to all those who had died in the border conflicts over the decades. It was also an important icon for diplomatic relations that happened over the years.

Since 1936, when relations were stabilized with the two nations, two days were huge on the calendar of the two neighbors and oft foes. The 27th and 28th of March, when the President of the Bundesrepublik and the President of the Confederacy each took a day to visit the other side, lay wreaths on the graves of fallen soldiers and participate in memorial parades.
There were years where that didn't happen, relations got so bad. Some of those years had been recent, including this past March, when after the capture of Liebsgott, the Bundesrepublik had boycotted the ceremonies and also blocked the Confederacy President from crossing the bridge to Pfunds and beyond. Both sides were working towards having a different turn of events this upcoming March, but both governments had stalled despite efforts, including those of allies and concerned regional economic partners.

Two people, however, met at least twice weekly, if not more, to try to help keep the backchannels open between the two mutually recalcitrant nations. Antonio Gausinamo was a Deputy at the Neu Engollian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while Gretchen Doerner was a special adviser to the Bundesrepublik President. They had been ensuring that meetings continued on for months since the incident.

The two stopped at the center of the bridge to watch the ducks and geese flow past on the mild currents.

"Hello, Tony."

"Hello, Gretchen."

"I'm tired today."

"Are you wearing a..." He didn't finish the sentence but she knew what he meant.

"No, dammit! Why do you ask me that every time? I'm not wearing a wire. You want to frisk me?"

"No, not here. Just habit. I have to ask. So...You left a nylon over at my place." Neither had regular places in the area, as he was a regular in Geneva and her in Vilgenna, their respective capitals. So they had government apartments. His was on the outskirts of Goertenthal and hers was near Pfunds, on the other side of the border.

"Nylon?"

"Stocking. Hosiery."

"Yes, I know what a nylon is. I just don't think its mine, Tony."

"It's not anyone else's, Gretchen. I promise you that."

"We're not dating, Tony. Do what you want."

"I do. She's standing on this bridge."

"Ohhh....So romantic!"

They both had a giggle over that one.

"We should at least pretend to have a conversation about the matter at hand to take back to our respective sides."

"I agree, so what is the news about our dear athletic official Liebsgott?"

"He is doing well, from what I hear. He is getting out and getting fresh air."

"Is he breaking, Tony?"

"They haven't shared anything like that with me and likely won't."

"I had to try."

"I understand."

"The pressure is ratcheting up again. Groups...People, are starting to put the pressure on to the President. We need him back. Soon."

"I just don't know when, or even if, that could happen, Gretchen."

"If it doesn't and we continue to get BS reports and propaganda on TV, things could get worse."

"Worse than they are now?"

"Worse in like people start shooting and dying and you and I don't knock boots anymore."

"That would be tragic."

"Don't be sarcastic."

"Is this the face of a sarcastic man? Seriously, on many levels, I would be very sorry."

"Sorry that I wouldn't be lifting up my skirt at your place anymore?"

"It is a wildly tantalizing thought that probably has no bearing on our current negotiations."

"Or everything."

"Are you coming over tonight?"

"You need to get more serious over this matter first."

He sighed as he prepared to head back home. "You can watch my serious ass walk back over the bridge. I don't have a single need over there...You on the otherhand, have a huge need over here."

"You need to shut your mouth."

"Shutting. Come over."

"I willl. Take a moment to compose your story for them, Micael They don't care to hear all the other shit."

"I don't have a problem with truth, Gretchen. Maybe it's you all who should prepare."

"This gets less and less fun with you every time. You better make it worth it tonight!"

"I'm only one man!"

[Siovanija and Teusland]

STELBURGER ZEITUNG

LATE EDITION -- SPORTS

5 Games In, 5 To Go

The first half of the group stage at the World Cup of Hockey is now complete, and as we await puck drop on the second half, let’s look back at Siovanija and Teusland’s results so far.

The tournament opened up with the Goldhorns’ 4-2 victory over Devonta, which saw Alex Schnyder and Razvigor Tsvetanov each score on the power play to give the Goldhorns the win. It was not, however, a complete performance from the team, and coach Aaron Kuhn was quick to add that the result was just a building block: “Obviously we’re happy with the win, but it’s not exactly where we want to be by the end of this group stage. We want to keep improving.” One key part of the game was the play of the Goldhorns’ fourth line, with Gero Radulov playing well in his match-up with Devonta’s top line centre, and the key third goal of the game coming off the stick of Veselin Filipov. Overall, game one of the WCoH group stage was a success for the Goldhorns.

Game two saw the team take on Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland (SWR). The Goldhorns stepped up for this one, and in fact scored four first period goals. Razvigor Tsvetanov was unplayable on the day, and the SWR defenders had their hands full all night. The power forward seemed to have decided before taking the ice that he would score and that the Goldhorns would win, and he put that into practice early. Tsvetanov scored first just 3 minutes into the game, and doubled up his tally on the same shift 22 seconds later. Siovanija and Teusland simply outworked SWR all game and all night, winning key battles along the boards, behind the net, and leading in all statistical categories and the scoreboard.

The second period of the game saw the Siovanija and Teusland lead extend to 6-0, Tsvetanov grabbing his hat-trick. That was, in fact, the first-ever hat-trick by a national team player in a game, and the Admirala Pomorie winger was quick to ensure that the puck was saved. Alex Schnyder added his second of the tournament as well in that period, and the game was all but over. SWR would get a consolation goal early in the second period, but Tsvetanov’s fourth of the game and a Timo Horn bomb from the point that found its way past the goalie to make the final score 7-1. Tsvetanov was named first star on the evening, and received much praise for his performance. Part of that praise came from the coach Aaron Kuhn, who said: “The whole team was incredible tonight, but Razvigor…...he was just on another level. He has such incredible talent, and it’s amazing what he can do with the puck.”

Game three of the tournament saw the Goldhorns go up against the team from Novaya Zemlya. Going into the tournament, it was very clear that this would be the first big test for the team. Novaya Zemlya, the fourth ranked team in the world, had just dispatched the Royal Kingdom of Quebec 7-2, and despite a slow start -drawing 0-0 with Maryloupe- were certainly a force to be reckoned with. “We all know they are quality, but we’ve been playing better each game so far and so our goal is to keep up that improvement, and hopefully surprise them.”

The game was tight early, with both sides trading chances through the first period. Novaya Zemlya, however, settled in quicker than the Goldhorns, and began to take control of the play by the end of the period. Ruslan Ivanov made a few solid saves in the Goldhorns’ goal, but eventually Novaya Zemlya would break through. A 2-on-1 for the Zemlyans resulted in a beautiful goal off the stick of their right winger, who fired the puck above the glove of Ivanov to give Zemlya the lead.

The second period saw the Goldhorns come forward strong, but still trail in the game. Novaya Zemlya went to the power-play early on after Bojidar Ivankov took a tripping penalty. Ivankov protested the decision for a while, and claimed a dive, but eventually was calmed and sent to the box. Replays showed the referee had made the correct call. Novaya Zemlya scored with the man advantage, a shot from the point being tipped in by the team’s captain. Down 2-0, the Goldhorns went to work to erase the deficit. Rather than losing morale, it seemed as if Siovanija and Teusland had gained inspiration from being down. They were now winning battles along the boards, and put a lot of pressure on the Zemlyan goaltender. Gunter Pfenning was the man to score for the Goldhorns, his wrist shot coming from the slot and beating the goalie to the left side. Within a goal, there was still about 30 minutes left for the Goldhorns to get something out of this one.

Novaya Zemlya, however, would not simply allow 3 points to slip away. Now they came back harder, clearly responding to the threat facing them. Now the game was free-flowing and intense, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. The next goal would fall to Novaya Zemlya, as they once again went to the power-play after Razvigor Tsvetanov was called for high-sticking. The Goldhorns had killed off the first minute of the penalty, but it was not enough. The tired defenders were struggling to clear from the zone now, and Novaya Zemlya took full advantage. Their captain earned his second of the game with a wrist shot that beat Ivanov blocker side. Entering the third period, the Goldhorns were now down 3-1.

Despite a lot of pressure coming from the Goldhorns, they were unable to find a way past the Novaya Zemlyan defence early in the third period. 10 minutes had passed, and time was certainly running out for a comeback to happen. Hope was again sparked, however, off the stick of Kosyo Varbanov. Fed the puck by Edgar Seckbach, Varbanov used his speed to break into the offensive zone on his own before winding up a slap shot. His effort pinged the bottom of the crossbar before dropping into the net, making the score 3-2. Siovanija and Teusland came close one more time before the end of the game, with Razvigor Tsvetanov hitting the post. Ruslan Ivanov was pulled with 2:06 remaining in the third, and with seconds running down in the third period, Novaya Zemlya were able to score on the empty goal. 4-2 the final score, as the Goldhorns suffered their first defeat of the tournament. “We didn’t play terrible, but we can’t say we played all that well either. We move on now, of course, and hopefully can learn some lessons from this one,” commented coach Aaron Kuhn.

A tough run of games continued in match 4, as Siovanija and Teusland took on the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. The teams had previously been drawn into the same group at WCoH 35, and so the re-match was an opportunity for Quebec to exercise some demons from last time out. The unranked Goldhorns had defeated Quebec in both encounters at that tournament. “They are a team we have a lot of respect for, and a team that we are familiar with. I think it’s going to be a really good game, and I just hope that we can pull it off,” said the captain Gunter Pfenning.

It was one of the most exciting games, in fact, that the national team has played. Quebec and the Goldhorns went back and forth in attack and defence, each team clearly wanting the victory. The fast paced game, however, did not see any goals in the first period. Matching the performance of the skaters in the game were Ruslan Ivanov and Mason Park in the Quebec goal. Each goalie made some big saves, and the teams headed into the first intermission in a 0-0 tie.

The second period saw the same level of excitement, but included some goals. Quebec scored the first of the game, with Francis Williamson getting the puck to Kim Seong-Jong. Kim fired a shot that beat Ivanov to the left post and gave Quebec the lead. The Goldhorns would not stay quiet for long, however. Gunter Pfenning brought the puck over the blue line and the Goldhorns set up in the zone. The first pass went to Alex Schnyder, who blasted a one-timer wide. Razvigor Tsvetanov picked up the puck below the net, before forcing his way out front. His shot beat Mason Park and evened up the score. That left the teams in a 1-1 tie heading into the third period.

That period saw more continuous action, however it would not end in favour of the Goldhorns. The best chance for Siovanija and Teusland came again off the stick of Tsvetanov; however he sent his shot wide of the goal. With 6 minutes left, Quebec would break the hearts of Goldhorns fans everywhere. Phillippe Yim-Goulet held the puck at the hash marks, before finding an open Laurent-Luc Joubert. Joubert’s shot went above the outstretched dive of Ivanov, and the red light was lit. Despite desperate efforts late, the Goldhorns lost in the end 2-1 to the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. “I thought that was an incredible game. It hurts to lose, but we will come back stronger. There were a lot of positives in that game we can carry on with in this tournament.”

Game five of the tournament, the halfway point, saw the Goldhorns take on Maryloupe. Despite an opening draw with Novaya Zemlya, Maryloupe had also been defeated 6-0 by Quebec in the tournament. Unluckily for Maryloupe, they now had to face a Goldhorns team that wanted to rebound from the two losses in a row in a massive way. It was another night on which Tsvetanov could not be stopped. He again scored 4 goals, 3 of them coming in the second period, bringing him to 10 total in the tournament. Considering the team leader at WCoH 35, Alex Schnyder, had 9 goals through 12 games, that is an incredible achievement. Schnyder scored two in the game, while Wolfram Spiegel and Rupert Ganzfield also joined in on the scoring. Spiegel’s was a particularly pretty goal, coming on a breakaway. The 8-0 victory was the biggest win in the history of the national team. “It was a perfect performance from us, and we hope that it sets the tone for the last half of the group stage,” said Aaron Kuhn.

The Goldhorns sit third in Group 8 after 5 matches. Quebec and Novaya Zemlya are the teams above them. Siovanija and Teusland have 9 points, while Quebec are on 12 and Novaya Zemlya sit first with 13 points. Certainly, to have any hope of reaching the play-offs again, the Goldhorns will have to defeat one - preferably both - of those teams. That will be a tough task for Siovanija and Teusland, needing to defeat both the number 4 and 11 ranked teams in the world. That also assumes the Goldhorns will defeat each team ranked below them, which is not a guarantee. It would be foolish to forget that low-ranked teams can always cause upsets, considering that the Goldhorns have been one of those teams in the past.

There is certainly lots more action to come out of this World Cup of Hockey, and the Stelburger Zeitung will bring you complete coverage of all the action from Anthor.

[-Anthor-]

World Cup of Hockey 36
Match Day 6 Cutoff
Brought to you by the Anthoran Ice Hockey Federation, and its many fans!

Group 1
Free Republics 5–4 Mercedini
Detroit-Sud 4–6 Neu Engollon
The South Falls 4–2 Austrakia

  Group 1                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Neu Engollon                                   6    6   0   0    26   13  +13    18    —    —   5–3   —   5–0  4–2
2 Mercedini                                      6    4   0   2    25   17   +8    12   3–4   —   6–3  3–1   —    — 
3 Free Republics                                 6    4   0   2    24   19   +5    12    —   5–4   —   6–4   —   1–0
4 The South Falls                                6    2   0   4    20   20    0     6   1–2   —    —    —   4–2  9–1
5 Austrakia                                      6    1   0   5    11   22  −11     3    —   3–5  0–6  6–1   —    — 
6 Detroit-Sud                                    6    1   0   5     9   24  −15     3   4–6  1–4   —    —   1–0   —

Group 2
Kilaguni 1–2 Elejamie
Neo-Romanum 4–4 Alpine Union
Ko-oren 4–0 Tobiasia

  Group 2                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Elejamie                                       6    5   1   0    18    5  +13    16    —   6–2   —   5–0   —   2–0
2 Alpine Union                                   6    4   1   1    24   16   +8    13    —    —   4–3   —   5–1  7–2
3 Tobiasia                                       6    3   0   3    16   12   +4     9   1–2   —    —   1–0   —   6–1
4 Ko-oren                                        6    3   0   3    12    8   +4     9    —   0–2  4–0   —   5–0   — 
5 Neo-Romanum                                    6    1   2   3    12   22  −10     5   1–1  4–4  1–5   —    —    — 
6 Kilaguni                                       6    0   0   6     6   25  −19     0   1–2   —    —   0–3  2–5   —

Group 3
Ranoria 0–1 South Covello
Halfdansodal 3–6 Abanhfleft
Cassadaigua 3–2 Kita-Hinode

  Group 3                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Abanhfleft                                     6    5   0   1    25   11  +14    15    —   5–2   —    —   5–2  6–1
2 Kita-Hinode                                    6    4   0   2    22    9  +13    12    —    —   1–0  3–1  8–0   — 
3 South Covello                                  6    4   0   2     9    4   +5    12   1–0   —    —   5–0  1–0   — 
4 Cassadaigua                                    6    3   0   3    23   18   +5     9   2–3  3–2   —    —    —   8–2
5 Ranoria                                        6    1   0   5     8   26  −18     3    —    —   0–1  3–9   —   3–2
6 Halfdansodal                                   6    1   0   5    11   30  −19     3   3–6  0–6  3–1   —    —    —

Group 4
Lycrabon 6–6 Valanora
Jebslund 3–4 Banija
Thibaea 3–6 Equestrian States

  Group 4                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Valanora                                       6    4   2   0    25   13  +12    14    —   5–2   —   3–1  2–2   — 
2 Banija                                         6    4   0   2    19   16   +3    12    —    —   2–1   —   6–0  2–1
3 Equestrian States                              6    3   1   2    23   15   +8    10   2–4   —    —   5–1  7–3   — 
4 Thibaea                                        6    3   0   3    22   19   +3     9    —   6–3  3–6   —    —   7–1
5 Lycrabon                                       6    0   3   3    18   31  −13     3   6–6   —    —   1–4   —   6–6
6 Jebslund                                       6    0   2   4    13   26  −13     2   0–5  3–4  2–2   —    —    —

Group 5
Lochario 2–5 Anthor
Benin-Togo 3–6 Cosumar
Gergary 0–1 The Sherpa Empire

  Group 5                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Anthor                                         6    5   1   0    30   14  +16    16    —   6–6   —   3–0  6–2   — 
2 Cosumar                                        6    4   2   0    36   23  +13    14    —    —   6–5  8–2   —   5–5
3 The Sherpa Empire                              6    3   1   2    22   17   +5    10   1–5   —    —   4–4  6–0   — 
4 Lochario                                       6    1   2   3    16   25   −9     5   2–5   —    —    —   1–1  7–4
5 Gergary                                        6    1   1   4    10   20  −10     4    —   2–5  0–1   —    —   5–1
6 Benin-Togo                                     6    0   1   5    18   33  −15     1   3–5  3–6  2–5   —    —    —

Group 6
Krenorus 1–4 Savojarna
New Jarwel 0–4 Qasden
North Prarie 2–3 Razenthuria

  Group 6                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Qasden                                         6    5   1   0    24   10  +14    16    —   3–1   —    —   1–0  7–2
2 Razenthuria                                    6    5   0   1    19    8  +11    15    —    —   4–0  2–1   —   5–2
3 Savojarna                                      6    3   1   2    21   17   +4    10   3–3   —    —   6–4   —   5–0
4 North Prarie                                   6    2   0   4    17   19   −2     6   4–6  2–3   —    —   3–0   — 
5 New Jarwel                                     6    1   0   5     8   19  −11     3   0–4  0–4  5–3   —    —    — 
6 Krenorus                                       6    1   0   5    11   27  −16     3    —    —   1–4  2–3  4–3   —

Group 7
Routcher 3–5 Vilitia & Turori
Mapletish 1–3 Cosneolta
Northwest Kalactin 1–2 St.Saratoga

  Group 7                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Vilitia & Turori                               6    6   0   0    26    6  +20    18    —   6–1   —   5–0   —   3–0
2 Cosneolta                                      6    5   0   1    26    9  +17    15    —    —   2–1   —   6–0  9–1
3 St.Saratoga                                    6    3   1   2    17   14   +3    10   0–4   —    —   4–4   —   4–2
4 Northwest Kalactin                             6    2   1   3    18   17   +1     7    —   0–5  1–2   —   7–1   — 
5 Mapletish                                      6    1   0   5    11   29  −18     3   2–3  1–3  1–6   —    —    — 
6 Routcher                                       6    0   0   6    10   33  −23     0   3–5   —    —   0–6  4–6   —

Group 8
Maryloupe 1–4 Novaya Zemlya
Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland 1–6 Royal Kingdom of Quebec
United States of Devonta 0–3 Siovanija & Teusland

  Group 8                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Novaya Zemlya                                  6    5   1   0    21    6  +15    16    —   7–2   —   4–0  0–0   — 
2 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                        6    5   0   1    26   13  +13    15    —    —   2–1   —   6–0  2–0
3 Siovanija & Teusland                           6    4   0   2    25    9  +16    12   2–4   —    —   4–2  8–0   — 
4 United States of Devonta                       6    2   0   4    12   23  −11     6    —   4–8  0–3   —    —   3–2
5 Maryloupe                                      6    1   1   4    11   23  −12     4   1–4   —    —   2–3   —   8–2
6 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland       6    0   0   6     7   28  −21     0   1–2  1–6  1–7   —    —    —

[Krenorus]

https://www.kbc.com.kr/sports/kren_lose_six_match_hockey

Krenorussian Broadcasting Company

Rogate City, Anthor - The Krenorussian Hockey Team, known as the Krenorussian Beasts, has lost against the national hockey team from Savorjana. Krenorussian fans were saddened and wrecked while some shouted anti-Savorjana slurs at the supporters of the Savorjana team. James Fogg-Czines told reporters in the press conference after the match that, 'The Beasts have not been on luck's side today. We will make a comeback.' This comes after the Krenorussian National Team won against New Jarwel and lost to Razenthuria. Many hoped that Krenorus could beat their next opponent, Savorjana. These hopes have now been shattered after losing four to one. Many Krenorussians say this is a 'the nail in the coffin' and that Krenorus would surely lose the next few matches.

We look at KBC sports reporter Semy Le'Roi again, who wrote a new graphic report on what happened:

***

Semy Le'Roi, KBC SPORTS

The game started just like the previous game did, where the Krenorussians took on New Jarwel. However, this time, their furious and quick attack backfired. Pavel Rasnikov stole the puck and slid pass the Krenorussians and was soon able to score a point. This made it one to nil. Some Krenorussian fans looked down, but most had hopes that they would be able to win the match. Jacob Smith-Winstons soon got control of the puck. Erik von Neumann and Jackson Tiggers were on each of his sides. They were the ones who intercepted the opposing players who were trying to get to Smith-Winstons. Glory, glory, glory! Smith-Winstons slid extremely close to the goalpost, where he fired the shot and scored the equalizer! Niklas Hoyman had tried to stop the puck, but he failed! The crowd cheered, 'Long Live Krenorus! Krenorus, land of glory, land of majesty!'. More and more, it looked like the Dominion's Beasts could win this match! A controversy in the game soon occurred as Tiggers was soon heard saying, 'All those arses are f*cking f*ggots!' to Smith-Winstons, who laughed. Erik von Neumann soon joined in, saying, 'Especially that piece of sh*t.' while pointing at Stefansson. Many Krenorussian fans, when hearing it, cheered loudly, shouting, 'You all are f*ggots! Rasnikov, Simonen, Stefansson!'. Many in the audience were also quite embarrassed. Krenorussian fans - especially those drunk - started waving the Krenorussian flag and shouting, 'This flag ain't for Commie F*ggy W*nkers! That flag is!' while pointing at the Savojar flag.

Fierce battles were fought over the puck, with some players getting into a few brawls. The Savojars, when they go into a brawl, would jump any Krenorussian player three-on-one! Krenorus itself was famous for all team battles, but they didn't want to do that on the international stage. Tiggers actually was able to punch one of Rasnikov, but it was not a career-ending one, just a slightly hard punch of mediocre intensity, as a warning to Rasnikov. Many more chants were shouted. Soon, however, Rasnikov would get his revenge when he moved up with Simonen and Stefansson. Rasnikov would quickly pass the puck to Simonen when they were nearing the goal. Simonen hit it, and scored! Krenorussians were silent for a small while. It was not two to one. Krenorus tried to counter-attack but failed as Hoyman blocked the puck with his leg.

Soon, Krenorus got another chance. While this was happening, Krenorussian fans started playing progressive rock music. 'Ave Maria!' they sang loudly, 'The voice, of thou Forever! In our hearts. We rejoice in your sacred words.' This inspired the Krenorussian players as Smith-Winstons passed the puck to von Neumann, whose shoulder made contact with Erik Kristiansen, he quickly passed the puck to Smith-Winstons who passed it to Tiggers. Tiggers immediately deflected the puck, making it go straight for the goal. Hoyman, luckily for the Savojar team, barely blocked it with his gloves. Tiggers almost shed a tear as the Krenorussian audience boo-ed at the Savojar team, shouting more slurs. Ouilsonne was heard saying, 'What a bunch of bastards!' in his classic French accent, 'Faggots of a female mule!' was then heard from the same man. 'Betrayed by the victims of desire. On an endless journey to paradise!' the music continued for more and more times, looping. Soon, a new song started playing.

The first period soon ended, but not after Stefansson was able to score a point for the Savojar team, and having the Krenorussian fans call him a 'piglet f*g'. After that, Fritj Steiner - by rumour - said 'Some f*cking gay ars*holes, those buggers'.

When the second period started, the confident Krenorussians was a wreck with sorrow and tragedy with Simonen scoring a point in the first few minutes. Krenorus' von Neumann led a counter-attack, but as he was approaching the goalpost, he fell and broke his right leg. Paramedics were called and Shawn Norman replaced him. Soon, Smith-Winstons got tired out after going back and forth, trying to defend, and was switched with Thomas Cox-Conley. Tiggers was also switched with Jason Keeshawn. Norman almost scored once, but the Savojar goalkeeper blocked it, the same was for Jason Keeshawn and Cox-Conley. The Savojars would go on to win another two more points. Making the game five to one. Soon, Krenorus launched a counter-attack, they almost scored many times, but soon the second period ended. They tried to score in the next period, but it of no use. Neither team was able to score, in the end, the Savojars had won. Had the Beasts been tamed?

In a post-match press conference, James Fogg-Czines told reporters that Krenorus would win at least one more game.

[Mapletish]

Part 8 to be split into parts
Part 1|Part 2| Part 3| Part 4| Part 5| Part 6| Part 7

The Forgotten War - Courting death

The vacation for us was short and I had to go back right into action pretty soon. The team that rotated us had put in rather consequential actions in Somalia while we were away. They were responsible for many of the direction action raids on suspected Revolutionists' terrorists and resistance leaders. The SOF team in charge of this operation was one of the best land units in the SOF, known for their almost flawless execution in the kill house, they were also the ideal team to be deployed for any special operation missions in the urban area all around the world and in different terrains. They were scheduled to be on the ground even after we were sent back to Somalia and they would do the heavy lifting for us but they needed supplements like snipers and navigators. I fitted the role nicely and I was to be sent back to Somalia ahead of my platoon while the rest of my platoon would meet me a month later.

I felt bad about leaving Dana behind following the childbirth. It was tough on her as she had to recover from the birth of our son. However, I felt that my duty as a SOF force member was much stronger than that and I had to leave to serve my nation. It was more important. I had to get back into action, my heart was hanging in a balance but it tipped towards deployment.

At that point, while I loved my son, I had not form a connection or bonded with him yet. I wasn't the kind of father who will go listen to my wife's belly or feel the baby's every kick and move while he was in his mother's stomach. I tend to need to know someone well, even a next of kin, before that part of me grows. That changed over time but at that point, I still hadn't experienced the real depth of what being a father meant and what it was all about.

Generally when the force members of the SOF get deployed overseas or come back, we do so rather quietly, like what we are meant to do. That is the nature of operations. We are silent professionals or silent warriors and there won't be many people around, maybe except for a few of our immediate family members as we go off for our missions or come back from them. We don't get the big sendoffs or the fancy homecomings and inviting the media to the airport doesn't exactly fit the bill. However, it is still nice to get "Thank you for your service," once in awhile.

A lot has happened in Somalia the last time we were deployed there. The country had been in chaos and the Revolutionists were running rampant around Somalia after the attack on the Maplish embassy in Mogadishu. Even though the liberating Maplish and Somalian government forces were present and were able to bring down and capture important war leaders of the Revolutionists, it was not still not enough to bring down the entire organisation. Herman Sandoff, was the main man of the entire organisation and he was difficult to track down. With him still in charge, the Revolutionists would still continue to run rampant, despite the combined Maplish and Somalian forces wiping out and clearing out towns and cities or areas with strong Revolutionists' presence. It was easier said than done and the Somalians weren't exactly the ones who you can trust in this matter with a mix in views even in the Somalian government over the anti-Maplish and pro-Maplish sentiments. The sending of Maplish forces into Somalia after the embassy attack fueled even further distrust and divide between the two sides.

I never worried too much about who exactly it was that I was fighting. I just knew, whoever was pointing the gun at me, whoever was trying to destroy our presence in Somalia, then that was our enemy. The Revolutionists second in command on the ground was Manuel Heriberto Anselmo and he was captured a few weeks before we got our 2nd stint in Somalia. With the capture of Anselmo, the troops who were under him got transferred straight into the command of Sandoff. Even though, the Maplish was able to wipe out Anselmo's stronghold in Jowhar and hand it back to the Somalian government. The insurgency grew tremendously that same year and a number of battles forced the Somalian government forces on the city's edges once gain.

Right in Baidoa, the anti-Somalians were working with the Revolutionists as the Somalian government forces failed to drive the insurgents out. The Maplish forces went in with the Somalians government forces but found it difficult to drive the insurgents out with periods of heavy fighting and miscommunication. The Somalian government troops at one point controlled 30% of the city and was close to take control but were soon driven out by the insurgents.

Although it was a priority to drive the Revolutionists out of their stronghold in Baidoa, I went off to work with the other SOF team who were trying to drive out the Revolutionists in Mogadishu, their next stronghold. I arrived to the SOF camp right in Mogadishu with SOF Team Alpha. Team Alpha was a small company headed by an eccentric Captain, who has a bushy beard that he likes to stroke.

"Viktor, welcome to Alpha. Come you will."

His English was straight out of goblin land but before I could absorb its full details, I had to pull out and move in with the team go in the house during the operation.

"Fuck yeah," I said.

He smiled. Some expressions are universal.

After a week on the job, I had been promoted from navigator to a member of the assault team. Yes, I couldn't be happier as I felt that I finally had something important to do. Not like my job as a navigator isn't important, but at least I get to make a greater impact on the operations that I was to under take. I still had to navigate. My job was to figure out a safe route to and from the target house. Planning out back up routes and come up with contingency plans and coordinating with any other support units that could get us out if we were to be in trouble. Although we try not to do that, but sometimes having an emergency time out and go was necessary in saving lives.

While the insurgents were going strong in Mogadishu and are wildly active, the fighting was a lot slower than the other cities that I was in. The threat of IEDs and ambushes were low but that could be changed in an instant. I had to be on the ball in plotting my routes. We got into our DPV (Dessert Patrol Vehicle) and set off. I had the front seat, next to the driver and I would give him the directions and guide him through the streets. The computer was on my lap and to my right was a swing arm for a machine gun. We'd taken the DPV's doors off to make it easier to get in and out and fire. Besides the mounts on my side and in the back, we had a .50 gun at the back, ready to hammer out any insurgent with a 360 all encompassing defence perimeter on the vehicle. This approach has its draw backs too. If there's a door between you and the surroundings, you get a plate of armour as protection but now you are exposed. Bullets have no eyes and should you be assaulted, you could get your ass in deep shit if your enemy is with a 360 all encompassing offensive and setting a perimeter around your vehicle.

We reached our target and get our asses out of the vehicle. I was psyched up to finally get back onto the battlefield. I had to perform and not disappoint. Team Alpha put me about the fifth or sixth in line to get into the house. That was a bit disappointing as I wanted to get on with the action first hand. However, I wasn't the sort to go in and bitch about that. I was fine with that too. Alpha hit the houses viciously and were quick to sweep any house out quick regardless of the number of enemies in it. We just moved along quick, took note of the flanks and went in. Surprise the target, overpower them hard and fast, take control and get the hell out.

We moved into the house swiftly, scanned the house systematically.

The room was empty.

All clear.

And out we go. I went back downstairs. This time round, our intel had somewhat failed us. The guy wasn't in the house. He must have managed to escape before we got to the house. When we went out to our vehicle, some of the team guys were holding the Somalian down.

"There we go. He was on his way back home, and we were out quenching our thirst, what a coincidence to have met him."

With the target captured. We were ready to get back to base. I started directing the driver towards the route back. It was a mission success. Having taken part in this house raiding operation, I was a full-fledged member of Alpha team, although not officially but in essence, I was.

We went through several direct action missions over the next three weeks, but there was only one where we had anything like real trouble. A guy wanted to fight as we going in. Unfortunately for him, all he had were his bare fists. Another wrong decision made for him. Faced with a squad of soldiers, each armed heavily and protected by body armour, he got his wish quick. He was beaten to the ground and we got him away quickly. Brave or stupid or both? I guess neither. He was just being silly. One less troublemaker off our list.

Throughout the three weeks, we picked up a pretty wide variety of troublemakers, from financiers, bomb makers, insurgents, foreign insurgents, weapon dealers, smugglers and there was once when we had to pick them up in a truck. Yes, imagine that, that was the influence of the Revolutionists and its sympathisers.

In my operations with Team Alpha, I formed a friendship with one of their snipers. We spent a lot of time talking about the different rifles and scenarios on the battlefield. We spent lots of time comparing notes too on how we would do certain things and the weapons he preferred. Later on, I arranged to run some drills with him and learnt from his style of operating too. We worked a lot with snappy targets and moving targets.

Although we were both Maplish military SOF teams, each team developed their own kind of battlefield tactics through their combat experiences. Although trained the same way, many of our combat readiness exercises evolved with our combat scenario and need. Even the weapons we used became a personal preference as you grew out of your standard issues and you started exploring other weapons or weapon modification which allows you to perform at the very best. One of the shortcomings of this customisable approach and non-standardised tactics meant that, it would require a bit of orientation to get used to the other team's culture and workings should we have an exchange of men or taking part in operations with them. Although in joint operations, we stuck with standardised tactics used by the Maplish military, on solo operations, we cut, paste and customise tactics optimised for our own team and the combat situation.

---

World Cup of Hockey 36

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	Final
Mapletish	0	0	1	1
Cosneolta	3	0	0	3

Player Statistics (Match Day 6)
#Num	Name			G	A	Pts
#2	Tiburcio Fran		1	1	2
#3      Florentino Jordán       1	2	3
#4      Clemente Luciano        6       3       9
#5      Dudley Buckholz         2       3       5
#6      Ángel Gabriel		1	2	3
#8      Royce Kaczmarski	0	0	0	 
#9      Kareem Solomon		0	0	0
#10     Régulo Josepe		0	0	0
#11     Nazario Julio		0	0	0
#12     Gil Toño		0	0	0
#14     Bonifacio Manu		0	0	0
#15     Eleuterio Alberto	0	0	0	
#16     Grimaldo Primitivo 	0	0	0	
#17     Tulio Marcos		0	0	0
#18     Vern Swindall		0	0	0

Num	Name		GP	W	L	T	GA	SA	GAA	S%	SO
#1	Johnson Rasmus	5       1	4	0	26	85	5.2	69.4	0 
#7	Ismael Chucho   1	0	1	0	3	11	3	72.7	0	
#13	Jafet Hugo      0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Match 6
Clemente Luciano - 1G
Dudley Buckholz - 1A

[Union of Socialist Alpine Republics]

The Alpine Union draws with Neo-Romanum

Avon City, Anthor - (NAP) The Alpine Union started the 2nd half of the group stage with a draw against Neo-Romanum. Neo-Romanum scored two goals in the 1st period and were leading 2-0 after 20 minutes.

With 16 minutes remaining in the 2nd period, Fredrika Laine was penalised for high sticking. 30 seconds later, Neo-Romanum scored a power play goal and the score was 3-0 Neo-Romanum. 2 minutes later, Czeslaw Niemczynowicz was on a two on one with Melania Zyskowska. Niemczynowicz carries the puck and passed to Melania who shoots. The puck hits the cross bar and Emilia Zyskowska takes the rebound and shoots it into the net it's a goal for the Alpine Union and Neo-Romanum's lead is cut to 3-1. With 7 minutes remaining, Czeslaw Niemczynowicz skates with the puck and passed to Melania Zyskowska who skates behind and around the net and passes the puck to Niko Virtanen who shoots wide left. Emilia Zyskowska is battling with 1st Pairing Right Defenseman for the puck in the corner and she passes it to Czeslaw Niemczynowicz who passes to Krzysztof Klepczynski at the blue line. Klepczynski shoots and scores and Neo-Romanum's lead is cut to 3-2! This is the score at the end of the 2nd period.

With 13 minutes remaining in the 3rd period, 1st line Right Wing scores on a breakaway and Neo-Romanum is leading 4-2. 8 minutes later, Peter Sundin skates with the puck and passed to Anton Lundström who shoots wide left. Anton Lundström picks up the rebound himself and passed to Fredrika Laine who'se deflecting the puck into the net and Neo-Romanum is now leading 4-3! With one minute remaining, the Alpine Union is pulling their goalie for an extra attacker. Czeslaw Niemczynowicz carries the puck into Neo-Romanum's zone and passed to Emilia Zyskowska who passed to Szymon Krzysztalowicz at the blue line. Szymon Krzysztalowicz passed to Czeslaw Niemczynowicz who passed back to Szymon Krzysztalowicz. Krzysztalowicz shoots and Melania Zyskowska, who was standing in front of the net, tips the puck into the net it's a goal for the Bisons and the game is tied at 4-4! This is the final score.

Elejamie won 2-1 against Kilaguni and Ko-oren beat Tobiasia 4-0. Here is the group table. Elejamie is 1st with 16 points with the Alpine Union being 2nd with 13 points:

  Group 2                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Elejamie                                       6    5   1   0    18    5  +13    16    —   6–2   —   5–0   —   2–0
2 Alpine Union                                   6    4   1   1    24   16   +8    13    —    —   4–3   —   5–1  7–2
3 Tobiasia                                       6    3   0   3    16   12   +4     9   1–2   —    —   1–0   —   6–1
4 Ko-oren                                        6    3   0   3    12    8   +4     9    —   0–2  4–0   —   5–0   — 
5 Neo-Romanum                                    6    1   2   3    12   22  −10     5   1–1  4–4  1–5   —    —    — 
6 Kilaguni                                       6    0   0   6     6   25  −19     0   1–2   —    —   0–3  2–5   —

BOXSCORE

1st period
12:36 - 1st Line Left Wing assisted by 1st Line Right Wing and 1st Line Center
8:23 - 2nd Line Right Wing assisted by 2nd Line Center and 3rd Pairing Left Defenseman

2nd period
15:10 - 1st Line Left Wing assisted by 1st line Center and 1st Pairing Right Defenseman (PPG)
12:52 - Emilia Zyskowska assisted by Melania Zyskowska and Czeslaw Niemczynowicz
7:22 - Krzysztof Klepczynski assisted by Czeslaw Niemczynowicz and Emilia Zyskowska

3rd period
13:28 - 1st Line Right Wing assisted by 1st Pairing Left Defenseman
5:47 - Fredrika Laine assisted by Anton Lundström and Peter Sundin
0:11 - Melania Zyskowska, assisted by Szymon Krzysztalowicz and Czeslaw Niemczynowicz

[Siovanija and Teusland]

STELBURGER ZEITUNG

LATE EDITION -- SPORTS

Goldhorns Defeat Devonta

Siovanija and Teusland’s national hockey team grabbed a win to open up the second half of the World Cup of Hockey group stage, defeating the United States of Devonta by a 3-0 score.

“We know that we’re going to have to put in more effort than ever in order to be where we want to be at the end of this group stage. The second half starts here, and we want to start off with a win. Devonta are a good team, they will certainly be a tough opponent, but I can assure you our boys will be playing with a lot of desire tonight,” commented coach Aaron Kuhn before the game. Siovanija and Teusland had previously played Devonta, in the opening match of the WCoH. The game resulted in a 4-2 victory for the Goldhorns.

Travelling fans of the Goldhorns in Anthor also had their say before the match. “We’re playing some good hockey, and hopefully that will continue. I know Razvigor is getting all the attention, but really all four lines have been great,” commented Otto Korfer, a travelling fan from Marlesee. Also on the way into the stadium, Ivan Kurikov spoke to us: “Ruslan Ivanov is playing the best hockey of his life so far to be honest, and that’s saying something for a goalie of his level. We have to win tonight, it’s really crucial.” Crucial it was. A loss would leave the Goldhorns 6 points back of the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, who defeated Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland in earlier action. The Goldhorns entered the ice ready to take care of business.

The Goldhorns were flying early on, and of particular great play was the second line. Edgar Seckbach’s passes were seemingly always on target, and Kosyo Varbanov and Wolfram Spiegel each had several dangerous chances. Every time this line was on the ice, you got the feeling that something would happen. Eventually, they would be rewarded for their effort. Varbanov sped through the neutral zone, eventually finding Edgar Seckbach with a pass. Varbanov then set himself up in front of the net, while the rest of the unit entered the zone. Seckbach found Kolomann Schwarzmann at the point, and the defender fired in a half clapper. His shot was knocked down by Varbanov out front, and the left winger took it onto his stick. He immediately fired a shot that went bardown into the goal, giving the Goldhorns a first period lead.

It wouldn’t take long for Siovanija and Teusland to expand on that lead. After a Devontan defender took a holding penalty on Mihael Gavrilov, the first power-play unit got to work. Bojidar Ivankov held the puck along the line, exchanging passes with his partner Schwarzmann. Ivankov eventually passed down to Razvigor Tsvetanov on the wing, who faked a shot. He held back, however, and sent a pass across to Alex Schnyder. Schnyder one-timed a shot that was past the goaltender before he could even see it. Celebrations were in order, and the Goldhorns held a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The second period did not see much action, however Siovanija and Teusland would have one great chance to score. Mihael Gavrilov sent a shot that deflected off the Devontan goaltender’s blocker and into the corner. Veselin Filipov went hard into the corner to recover the puck, in a tough battle against the Devontan defender. Eventually, Filipov was able to win out, sending the puck out in front where Gero Radulov fired a quick snap-shot. However, his effort was saved by the goalie. Later in the period, Wolfram Holtz would fire in a shot that was off the post before Devonta shut down the Goldhorn’s offence. Devonta’s best chance came on a powerplay after Gunter Burchardt was called for tripping, however the shot from the point was saved by Ruslan Ivanov.

There was still, however, one more goal in the game, and it would come to the Goldhorns in the third period. Razvigor Tsvetanov rushed up the ice as Siovanija and Teusland broke through the neutral zone. Tsvetanov fed Alex Schnyder, who found his way below the net. Schnyder’s first pass found Gunter Pfenning, and Pfenning passed to Tsvetanov on the right boards. Tsvetanov worked his way past the defender, and faked a shot. He continued skating through the slot before firing a shot through traffic that beat the goalie. 3-0 now, and the Goldhorns were cruising to victory. There wasn’t too much of a challenge in the remaining minutes, and Siovanija and Teusland did not provide much in terms of offence as the game ended. 3 points to the Goldhorns, and a second shutout in a row for Ruslan Ivanov.

“I’m happy with the way we played. Things are going right for us right now, we’re getting some extra puck luck in these games and that’s always nice. We’re scoring a lot of goals, too, but of course Ruslan has been great in goal as well. We push on from here,” commented coach Aaron Kuhn. “Boys play good game, we are happy with that one,” said Razvigor Tsvetanov.

Next up for the Goldhorns will be Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland. Ruslan Ivanov will get the start in goal again, and there will be no other changes to the lineup. We here at the Stelburger Zeitung will be here to cover all of Siovanija and Teusland’s games at the 36th World Cup of Hockey.

[Vilitia and Turori]

All eyes were on the Routcher Arena as the V&T Entry began the second half of its World Cup of Hockey Group Stage - looking to see which team showed up; Vilita & Turori or Vilitia & Turori.

The question was answered right when the teams stepped onto the ice as the goalkeeper led the team out for warmups wearing a brand new Vilitia and Turori themed goalkeeper mask

The mask is a straight up homage to the adopted flag of Vilitia and Turori with the split sunrise adorning the top of the mask and splits sides representing the Vilitia / and the Turori half of the Vilitia and Turori color scheme.

It seemed however that the mask may have proven more of a distraction than it was worth as Vilitia and Turori struggled against Roucher. While they would win the match in the end, it was a worst-of-the-campaign display defensively as the flag-mask adorned netminder saw three Routcher shots get past them - the three goals conceded over 3 periods matching the total number of goals Vilitia and Turori had conceded in the 15 periods of hockey played up until that point prior in the group stage.

Vilitia & Turori remain 3 points clear of Cosneolta in the Group 7 standings knowing that a head to head win over Cosneolta in the second half of the group stage would effectively seal their progression through to the playoff rounds.

[Ko-oren]

Merchant Cities

Canon #8: Science, Technology and Industry in Ko-oren
1. Mawryshire Canyons
2. Ansonville, Steam Powered City
3. Nyashawill Geocentre
4. Hydro-city Aonishi
5. Cirelbourne Silver mines
6. Lamau Electric City
7. Willowbourne Airport and Museum
8. Ferrovente, Wind Powered City
9. Serevne Observatory
X. Santa Teresa Naval Base
=. Ko-orenite Space Agency in Arboren
0. Gehrenna Instrument Museum

[The Sherpa Empire]

----o-֎-o----‭

‭The Sherpas defeated Gergary for the second time, though this time the Gergarian defense made it harder. There was a fight on the ice after Rashid Koser tripped Helmine Friedrich. A couple of his teammates were annoyed with him, saying it was bad form to play dirty like that against a woman. Koser retorted that a woman shouldn't be playing professional hockey in the first place. "Maybe Gergary doesn't have enough real men for a proper hockey team," Wanying Yi commented sarcastically.

‭Still, nobody was seriously injured, just a few bruises and wounded egos. Koser and Bognar got ejected for their part in the fight, but afterward things settled down. After the game, a few of the Sherpa players went over and told Friedrich they were sorry that Koser had been a douche.

----o-֎-o----‭

[Mercedini]

World Cup of Hockey Group Review
@ Marshall City Forum - Furness City, Anthor

We're knee deep into the group stages in Anthor as the final set of group matches have been lined up, meaning in a couple of days time we will find out who will heading for an early exit and who will stick around in Anthor for just a small while longer. It's been a bumpy road for the national team thus far with losses already recorded, despite going into the tournament being a Pot 1 team. After the first half of matches, the Kingfishers only recorded one loss, which came against their closest rivals Neu Engollon. Since then, they have won all of their games in the first half but still found themselves one point clear of the elimination zone, with the Free Republics hot on the heels of the Pot 1. In the second half, the Free Republics completely caught up with Mercedini in the first match following a dramatic 5-4 victory to lead into what could be a dramatic final four games for both sides, considering both teams still have to play Neu Engollon along with all of the other teams who could potentially be eliminated in the coming days.

  Group 1                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Neu Engollon                                   6    6   0   0    26   13  +13    18    —    —   5–3   —   5–0  4–2
2 Mercedini                                      6    4   0   2    25   17   +8    12   3–4   —   6–3  3–1   —    — 
3 Free Republics                                 6    4   0   2    24   19   +5    12    —   5–4   —   6–4   —   1–0
4 The South Falls                                6    2   0   4    20   20    0     6   1–2   —    —    —   4–2  9–1
5 Austrakia                                      6    1   0   5    11   22  −11     3    —   3–5  0–6  6–1   —    — 
6 Detroit-Sud                                    6    1   0   5     9   24  −15     3   4–6  1–4   —    —   1–0   —

The fate of Mercedini and the Free Republics both hang in the balance following the Free Republics' win over Mercedini yesterday, meaning it's a straight shootout between the two teams, as they play all of the other four teams in the group before the end of the group stage. Free Republics will likely hold the advantage going forward as Mercedini will have to play runaway group leaders Neu Engollon in the next match day but after that it's a straight run of low ranked or unrnaked sides to see out the group stage. It's likely that whoever either drops points against the lower ranked sides, or gain points from Neu Engollon would take a massive advantage going into the final group standings. The Kingfishers currently hold the ace card as it stands, with a better head to head record and goal difference, but everything can change as the matches come thick and fast.

As always, we will return with all of the action and the fallout from the match tomorrow, with how that effects the group stage and what that means for the team going forward in the rest of their matches. It's lining up to be a special World Cup of Harmony, especially given the amount of surprises and upsets seen at the tournament so far. Most of the big names are turning up to the tournament and setting their case for the World Cup of Harmony trophy, but some are at risk of an early exit at this stage. We hope you could join us for Neu Engollon vs. Mercedini, but for now, have a wonderful evening.

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Prince Eric Sunrise - The Necessity of Punitive Funding Decisionmaking in Quebecois Institutions

Asher Bradbury

PRINCE ERIC, MANITOB -28 years ago, while in my junior year of my undergraduate degree with Mount Ester University, I was emailed by my old professor to perhaps write and present a paper about the essays of Georges Wilkins, 12th Baron of Masonville, whose 6-book memoir was re-published and analysed under him.

I, then an unsure English Literature major, took the opportunity as I spent my entire summer working on the paper and the presentation. It was painful, with the struggle of having to read through works in 5 languages and way too many references to count.

Fortunately, it went well and the rest is history so I’m not going to go through that. Because I am a professor of English Literature, with specific focus on Arlenian era Quebecois Literature, people often ask me how in the world is a literature major going to get a job. Whenever people ask me on that, I ask them to look back on the reasons why they had decided to come to this university and why they decided to study this major they are in. Sure, you aren’t always asked to do poem recitals and do them in correct metres in order to win jobs, but not filling your head up with what makes you a human is just as dangerous.

Over the past decade, there has been way too many cuts on humanities and social sciences programs all across the board. Recent new of a proposal by Lake Superior State University administration to cut 18 majors in humanities and social sciences departments, including all 3 official languages, Ojibway, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Sociology and whatnot, in favour of programs with “better, higher-demand jobs”, is an abominable case of university administration’s idiocy with its forgetting and betrayal of its purpose and public model.

What is concerning, however, While this decision has drawn minor controversies, including a threat by the Ontarian Premier Riley Godbut to withhold LSSU’s provincial funding, is the prevalence of this pattern in international space. The criticism and cuts on humanities seem commonplace across the Multiverse, highlighted by the Tuncastle Wesleyan University. This comes in an ironic note given the Christian Church (of many forms and whatnot) emphasises itself on fundamental education through humanitas, heading back millenias.

With such perils enlying the basic foundations of Quebecois universities, it may be necessary for the Quebecois Government to take a firmer stance to the cuts against humanities by proposing a model in which punitive cuts be made upon Quebecois universities that cut the programs that deem essential in the foundation of the Quebecois universities model, which needs to become more elite-based in future….

To read more, please subscribe to our terrible pay-per-view model.

[-Anthor-]

World Cup of Hockey 36
Match Day 7 Cutoff
Brought to you by the Anthoran Ice Hockey Federation, and its many fans!

Group 1
The South Falls 2–2 Free Republics
Austrakia 5–0 Detroit-Sud
Neu Engollon 1–6 Mercedini

  Group 1                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Neu Engollon                                7    6   0   1    27   19   +8    18   
2 Mercedini                                   7    5   0   2    31   18  +13    15  
3 Free Republics                              7    4   1   2    26   21   +5    13    
4 The South Falls                             7    2   1   4    22   22    0     7   
5 Austrakia                                   7    2   0   5    16   22   −6     6     
6 Detroit-Sud                                 7    1   0   6     9   29  −20     3

Group 2
Ko-oren 4–0 Kilaguni
Tobiasia 8–2 Neo-Romanum
Alpine Union 5–6 Elejamie

  Group 2                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Elejamie                                    7    6   1   0    24   10  +14    19
2 Alpine Union                                7    4   1   2    29   22   +7    13
3 Tobiasia                                    7    4   0   3    24   14  +10    12
4 Ko-oren                                     7    4   0   3    16    8   +8    12
5 Neo-Romanum                                 7    1   2   4    14   30  −16     5
6 Kilaguni                                    7    0   0   7     6   29  −23     0

Group 3
Cassadaigua 3–1 Ranoria
Kita-Hinode 2–0 Halfdansodal
Abanhfleft 4–3 South Covello

  Group 3                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Abanhfleft                                  7    6   0   1    29   14  +15    18
2 Kita-Hinode                                 7    5   0   2    24    9  +15    15
3 Cassadaigua                                 7    4   0   3    26   19   +7    12 
4 South Covello                               7    4   0   3    12    8   +4    12
5 Ranoria                                     7    1   0   6     9   29  −20     3
6 Halfdansodal                                7    1   0   6    11   32  −21     3

Group 4
Thibaea 11–3 Lycrabon
Equestrian States 5–1 Jebslund
Banija 0–1 Valanora

  Group 4                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Valanora                                    7    5   2   0    26   13  +13    17 
2 Equestrian States                           7    4   1   2    28   16  +12    13
3 Thibaea                                     7    4   0   3    33   22  +11    12
4 Banija                                      7    4   0   3    19   17   +2    12
5 Lycrabon                                    7    0   3   4    21   42  −21     3
6 Jebslund                                    7    0   2   5    14   31  −17     2

Group 5
Gergary 3–0 Lochario
The Sherpa Empire 5–0 Benin-Togo
Cosumar 7–6 Anthor

  Group 5                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Cosumar                                     7    5   2   0    43   29  +14    17
2 Anthor                                      7    5   1   1    36   21  +15    16
3 The Sherpa Empire                           7    4   1   2    27   17  +10    13
4 Gergary                                     7    2   1   4    13   20   −7     7
5 Lochario                                    7    1   2   4    16   28  −12     5
6 Benin-Togo                                  7    0   1   6    18   38  −20     1

Group 6
North Prarie 4–2 Krenorus
Razenthuria 7–3 New Jarwel
Qasden 1–6 Savojarna

  Group 6                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Razenthuria                                 7    6   0   1    26   11  +15    18
2 Qasden                                      7    5   1   1    25   16   +9    16
3 Savojarna                                   7    4   1   2    27   18   +9    13
4 North Prarie                                7    3   0   4    21   21    0     9
5 New Jarwel                                  7    1   0   6    11   26  −15     3
6 Krenorus                                    7    1   0   6    13   31  −18     3

Group 7
Northwest Kalactin 9–0 Routcher
St.Saratoga 4–3 Mapletish
Cosneolta 1–3 Vilitia & Turori

  Group 7                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Vilitia & Turori                            7    7   0   0    29    7  +22    21
2 Cosneolta                                   7    5   0   2    27   12  +15    15
3 St.Saratoga                                 7    4   1   2    21   17   +4    13
4 Northwest Kalactin                          7    3   1   3    27   17  +10    10
5 Mapletish                                   7    1   0   6    14   33  −19     3
6 Routcher                                    7    0   0   7    10   42  −32     0

Group 8
United States of Devonta 5–0 Maryloupe
Siovanija & Teusland 5–2 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 1–3 Novaya Zemlya

  Group 8                                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts                                
1 Novaya Zemlya                               7    6   1   0    24    7  +17    19
2 Siovanija & Teusland                        7    5   0   2    30   11  +19    15
3 Royal Kingdom of Quebec                     7    5   0   2    27   16  +11    15
4 United States of Devonta                    7    3   0   4    17   23   −6     9
5 Maryloupe                                   7    1   1   5    11   28  −17     4
6 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland    7    0   0   7     9   33  −24     0

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Belushya Guba Duo keeps Savojarna's hopes alive - for the moment

Facing group leaders Qasden, Savojarna had a decisive game on their hands as a loss for the Northlights would have meant at least a five and more likely an eight points gap to second place, placing them at the brink of mathematical elimination. Only a victory could possibly have secured any chance for Savojarna, but with a match against Razenthuria in hand, a victory over the Qasden team may hand them the golden opportunity to retake a knockout spot in the next game. However, even if Qasden's ice hockey team are not really famous for exceeding the (often rather high) expectations put on them, "a victory against Qasden" is never easy and their first meeting ended in a 3-3 draw and the loss of "minister of defence" Alexey Yarchenko. With Yarchenko's out for the rest of the tournament confirmed, others had to take up the responsibility, leading to a bitter loss to Razenthuria when that failed. However, by now they had managed to fill out the gap and the Savojar defence around goalie Nick Hoyman was ready to face Qasden.

Defensively, they could indeed hold their own in this year, but were hardly dangerous on the attack against a very solid Qasden side. The only goal in the first period was a Savojar score by Slava Glukov, whose long-distance shot in the powerplay was deflected by a defender and could not be stopped by the goalkeeper. The result, although not undeserved based on the overall impression, was somewhat lucky as Qasden had multiple near-misses and a crossbar shot shortly before the end, when a winger caught Hoyman off-guard but aimed a little bit too high over the catching glove. Aside from that, the match was once again hard and rough, with the Savojars' technical scoring lines taking most of the load. Despite the physical aspect, the match was disciplined thanks to a good job made by the referees, who kept this tense match under control.

In the second period, Savojarna's fans had a moment of shock when a wristshot from the left wing bounced off Hoyman's pad and over the blade of Ingerman, allowing Qasden's #2 centre to score the rebound and equalise the match. However, there was a quick answer on the next shift as Jarnström played a magistral pass across the entire offensive zone onto the stick of Mikael Söderberg, who finished with a beautiful one-timer and set the stage for the Belushya Guba Duo. The two young wingers had been somewhat underwhelming throughout the WCoH, but returned with a bang in this match as they racked up three points each, bagging the victory for Savojarna and making it a blowout over a stunned Qasden that attacked desperately, trying to regain some standing in the match.

Bryzhnev opened the duo's scoresheet with a long pass to Gulbrandsson, who dangled the puck around his opponent and laid it off to Hjalmarsson, whose pass found Bryzhnev's open stick and led to the 1-3. Then came the first goal by Jonas Gulbrandsson, started by Falborg. The defender played a breakout pass to Bryzhnev at the blue line, who delayed the play and passed right into the gap, allowing Gulby a breakaway and a five-hole-shot to make it 1-4. A forceful slapshot from mid-distance by Yuri Elyagin set the score to 1-5 in some sort of intermezzo for the second line show, followed by second goal of the Emperor of Ejana. The wonderful deke by Gulbrandsson against a winger in the neutral zone created the space required to pass both defenders with a double-pass with Bryzhnev before the 24 year old set the score to 1-6 with a flashy one-timer to the far corner.

The result left Qasden behind stunned and in second place due to a victory for Razenthuria over New Jarwel, which was to be expected. Three games before the end, four teams are mathematically still in contention, with three of them still having realistic chances to the KO round. North Prairie is in fourth place, seven points behind qualification and unable to clinch the group victory, and requires a perfect finish to take the remaining spot. To achieve this, they would also have to rely on some slip-ups by Savojarna and Qasden, the latter not being allowed to take more than one point.
Ahead of them lies Savojarna, three points behind second place and five behind first. With a victory over Razenthuria, they could move in striking distance of both Qasden and Razenthuria, profiting from their game against each other and a near-secure playoff spot if they beat lower-ranked North Prairie and New Jarwel; in case of a loss against the Razenthurians they would be eliminated unless Qasden make a mistake.
Second is Qasden, three points ahead of Savojarna and two behind Razenthuria. For them, the match against the current leaders will be crucial - depending on the results until then, it could be both a duel for the group victory or a do-or-die match in the fight for the playoffs. In the next round, Qasden's eyes will be as fixed on their own game as they will be on the Razenthuria - Savojarna game before they turn to their own match against the surprise leaders.
Razenthuria, the group's leaders, have surprised the hockey world as they beat Savojarna 0-4 and only dropped one game so far, to Qasden. Their impressive victory over New Jarwel together with Savojarna's blowout victory gave them a two-point lead, and gave them a golden ticket to secure qualification with a victory over the Savojars in the next round. Should that fail, however, the pressure would rise again as Qasden waits in the next round, with Savojarna lurking in third with the easiest remaining program.